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Coalition government would tow boats back to Sri Lank to help stem the
flow of asylum seekers bound for Australia, opposition immigration
spokesman Scott Morrison was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald
Mr Morrison, speaking from a tour of Australia’s detention facilities
on Nauru, said Australia should also bolster Sri Lanka’s maritime
resources to prevent people from leaving.
‘‘We believe the more effective way to deter [arrivals] here is
firstly to support the Sri Lankan government with their interceptions at
source, whether at sea or land ... Secondly, in the event that the
vessels get towards Australia they should be intercepted outside of our
waters and arrangements made for their immediate transfer back to Sri
Lanka but into the safe hands of international agencies that are already
on the ground in Sri Lanka, particularly the UNHCR and IOM.’’
Mr Morrison said the Coalition would boost Sri Lanka’s naval
resources, ‘‘just like we would do where requested or where supported in
Indonesia as well’’.
He said the Coalition’s tow-back policy, in which asylum boats would be
returned to Indonesia where safe to do so, had been mocked by the
government because Indonesia was unwilling to participate in the scheme.
‘‘But the difference is, the Sri Lankan government has expressed a
keen interest in this and we would be very interested in supporting them
in that, because it’s much safer to ensure that interception closer to
Sri Lankan territory than Australia.
‘‘And that just seems to me to be a very practical measure that we can take with the support of the Sri Lankan government.’’
Mr Morrison said asylum seekers on Nauru faced two frustrations:
their detention on Nauru, and the fact other asylum seekers in the
post-August 13 contingent were being sent to Australia on bridging visas
while they languished on Nauru.
‘‘The inconsistent application of that policy is exacerbating what would be normal tensions.’’
He said the conditions were ‘‘challenging’’.
‘‘The sooner we move to permanent arrangements, then I think the
concerns about the facility that are there presently will fade,’’ he
said.
Construction on permanent accommodation for almost 400 asylum seekers
on Nauru is set to begin before Christmas following a breakthrough in
negotiations between local land owners and the Nauru government.
The minister responsible for the processing centre, Mathew Batsiua,
said the terms and conditions of a lease with the owners of six portions
of land that covered the centre were set to be finalised on Wednesday.
But Mr Batsiua said no date had been set to open the camp and allow
detainees free movement during daylight hours, despite expectations that
this would have occurred by now. ‘‘Health and security checks have to
be satisfied first before individuals can be allowed free movement,’’ he
said.
All information relating to health had been received, but more
security information had to be gathered before these checks could be
completed, he said.
Mr Batsiua also confirmed that some of the asylum seekers had refused
preliminary interviews in protest at the delays in processing their
claims. ‘‘They are encouraged to participate, but at the end of the day
they cannot be forced,’’ he said.
Nauru’s Topside camp – which is expected to house 900 asylum seekers
in permanent accommodation when it is built – will have no direct access
to power and water, Mr Morrison said on Thursday.
‘‘I’m of the strong view that there are better sites that were available and should have been pursued,’’ he said.
‘‘Now we’re going to have a permanent facility being constructed
around a temporary facility, which will make a very challenging
situation more challenging in the months ahead.
‘‘The permanent facility will have about 900 people who will be able to be accommodated on that site, on Topside.
‘‘That is a site that has no direct access to power or water. All
water will have to be trucked up to that site, and if they are going to
move away from the stand-alone power generation that they currently
have, then obviously poles and wires are going to have to be erected.
That’s one of the reasons that the Coalition did not favour the Topside
site as the site for the permanent facility.’’
Mr Morrison said the choice of Topside showed the government’s hand
was ‘‘forced’’ in reopening Nauru, and it was unprepared for the
challenges involved.
A spokesman for Mr Bowen said, "this is all a bit rich from Scott
Morrison – first he said the government wasn’t moving quick enough and
now he says we’ve rushed it".
"The reality is we’d have a permanent facility on Nauru right now if
the Coalition had supported the government’s proposal in late 2011.
“It’s odd for Mr Morrison to be complaining about the Topside site
when this is the same site that the Coalition used for its ‘Pacific
Solution’ and it has better amenity and infrastructure now than it did
back then.”
An immigration department spokeswoman confirmed that water would be
regularly trucked to Topside, but said the site was chosen based on the
availability of land, after negotiations with landowners and the Nauruan
government.
Source- Times online
Posted By Sameera Chathuranga
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