A boatload of Sri Lankan asylum seekers trying to reach Australia has been sent back to its point of origin, Australia’s immigration minister Peter Dutton says.
The vessel, carrying 12 Sri Lankan men, women and children, was intercepted by Australian authorities near the remote territory of Cocos Islands on 2 May. They were reportedly transferred to a charter flight and sent back to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on 6 May.
“They were in a good state – they had made the journey down and they quickly made the journey back,” Dutton was quoted as saying in Brisbane on 9 May by Australian Associated Press.
The incident represents a further hardening of Australia’s stance towards asylum seekers – the country is only one in the world to strictly enforce the detention of displaced people.
-ibtimes
-Agencies
