· 10:19 pm United Nations refugee agency warns Australia its asylum policy may breach international law July 27, 2013 The United Nations refugee agency has warned Australia that its decision to send asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea could breach international law and its human rights obligations. Around 700 asylum seekers have arrived at Christmas Island since the deal was announced last week, and will be eligible to be resettled in PNG, not in Australia, if they are deemed to be refugees. But, in its first comments about the so-called PNG solution, the UNHCR describes the deal as a significant shift which could be tantamount to Australia deflecting its responsibilities under the refugee convention. In a strongly worded statement issued today, the UNHCR said it was troubled by the absence of adequate protections for asylum seekers who will be resettled in PNG. The statement pointed to “significant shortcomings” in PNG’s ability to legally and humanely process asylum seekers. “These include a lack of national capacity and expertise in processing, and poor physical conditions within open-ended, mandatory and arbitrary detention settings,” it said. “This can be harmful to the physical and psycho-social wellbeing of transferees, particularly families and children.” The UN agency said the assessment was based on recent visits to PNG by UN representatives. “We’re concerned that the net effect of the measures is that for all intents and purposes Australia ceases to be an asylum country under the convention for anybody coming to the country other than by air,” UNHCR regional representative Richard Towle told The World Today. “This is a very significant shift and change from the practices used by states around the world. “We have yet to see how the arrangements will play out, because nobody under the new arrangements has been transferred across to Papua New Guinea. “But what we can say, and what we know already, is that the transfer to the current physical and legal environment in Papua New Guinea will raise very significant and indeed formidable challenges.”
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 23:17:06 +0000
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