Australia would “flagrantly” violate the refugee convention if 153 Tamil asylum seekers on board a boat headed to Australia were sent to Sri Lanka without being allowed to lodge a claim for protection, the Refugee Council of Australia has warned. The Christmas Island shire president, Gordon Thomson, told Guardian Australia on Tuesday there were unconfirmed reports on the island that those on board the boat had been handed over to the Sri Lankan navy. Thomson said it was clear that those on board had not yet been brought ashore and there was no sign of the boat. theguardian/world/2014/jul/01/sending-asylum-seekers-to-sri-lanka-risks-flagrant-violation-of-convention
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 12:08:48 +0000