Australian government to leave Tamil refugees detained on Nauru

Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews declared that other unspecified countries would be asked to resettle the men, who fled arrest and torture by the Sri Lankan military, but refused to say how long that could take. He insisted that the refugees would be barred from Australia as part of the government’s efforts to deter asylum seekers. “The reduction in the number of people seeking to enter Australia unlawfully has been a direct result of the Howard government’s clear policy that persons who seek to enter Australia illegally will not be settled in Australia,” Andrews said. His statement flagrantly violated the Refugee Convention, which prohibits the discouragement or punishment of refugees.

Two members of the 83-person Tamil group already had their refugee claims approved by the UNHCR in Indonesia before they set sail for Australia. One man, who is receiving medical treatment in Perth for shrapnel wounds, is still being assessed. Another’s application has been rejected. The claims of the other six men, who allegedly indecently assaulted a Nauruan woman, have been stalled.

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