A group of 157 Sri Lankan asylum seekers has left Cocos Islands and is being transferred to the Australian mainland.
The group of men, women and children left in a boat from India and spent nearly a month in legal limbo on board the Customs ship after being intercepted by Australian authorities.
Locals on the Cocos Islands, off the coast of WA, have told the ABC the first groups of people were taken off Customs vessel Ocean Protector and brought to the islands airport early this morning.
Sources on the island say extra visual barriers were put in place around the airport and locals were kept at distance.
It is believed the entire group is now awaiting transfer to the Curtin Detention Centre near Derby in Western Australia’s far north.
The Flight Aware tracking system says a Nauru Air flight departed Cocos Islands at 2.30pm local time (1800 AEST) on Sunday.
A second chartered jet is also expected to take members of the group.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has been contacted for comment.
Mr Morrison has insisted no asylum seekers who come by boat would reach the Australian mainland, but he has been forced to make an exception because India wants to interview them.
He has previously said the safest and most convenient way of doing that is in Australia, although he insisted they will never be settled here.
He said after Indian officials speak to the asylum seekers, the country will accept back those who are Indian citizens and possibly also Sri Lankan citizens who have been living in India.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says there is no legal basis for allowing the Indian officials to question the asylum seekers.
“These people are in Australia’s care clearly. They’re on Australian soil,” she said.
“What’s next? Will we be allowing the Sri Lankan government to come in and interview the Tamils? Would we go so far as to allow ISIS to interrogate those who left Iraq?
“This is about a proper process of law and doing what is right by those who are most vulnerable.
“These children, their families, have been at sea for weeks. They’ve been used as political footballs by this Government and now we have Tony Abbott wanting to simply hand pass them over to another country.”
The High Court is likely to hold a directions hearing next week to examine the implications of the Government deciding to bring the Tamils to the mainland. - ABC
