@polksaladallie wrote:
No thanks, I'd rather do the washing-up.
Well let me post it here for you then... Then you shall have the answers..... and the fact the majority od Australians are happy that this is happening and our borders are being protected.
First asylum seeker boat returned to country of origin, with Australian navy frigate guiding vessel back to Sri Lanka
THE mystery of at least one of two asylum seeker boats at the centre of a week-long controversy has been solved — all 41 passengers have already arrived safely on their home soil.
In what is the first operation undertaken to return asylum seekers back to their country of origin by boat, an Australian navy frigate acting under border protection command sailed the Sri Lankan group back across the Indian Ocean after immigration officials deemed them to be economic refugees.
The operation also marked the first attempt by Sri Lankan asylum seekers to reach Australia since last October.
The Daily Telegraph can now confirm one boat that set sail from Sri Lanka in late June was intercepted by an Australian customs vessel last week.
The government has been under siege from refugee advocacy groups, human rights lawyers and some sections of the media since last month, for refusing to comment on or confirm that two boats suspected of carrying up to 200 asylum seekers had made it to Australians waters off Christmas Island. But border protection sources have confirmed neither of the boats reached Australia’s maritime zone.
The first vessel, containing the 41 asylum seekers, was intercepted well outside Australia’s maritime borders — in the contiguous zone west of Cocos Islands, more than 1000km west of Christmas Island and halfway between Sri Lanka and the Australian mainland.
The second suspected vessel, reported to be carrying 153 asylum seekers, thought to have set out from India, had also failed to make it into Australia’s maritime territory despite claims it had.
All 41 asylum seekers aboard the confirmed vessel were processed at sea in an operation conducted under the enhanced screening policy first introduced by Labor in 2012 to process and return asylum seekers found to be economic refugees to their point of origin.
The claim of just one person aboard the vessel was found to be credible. However, he asked to be returned home after being told he would be taken to Manus Island for processing.
All are believed to have been transferred yesterday to a Sri Lankan naval vessel off the Sri Lankan Port of Batticaloa yesterday. Officials from the Australian High Commission in Colombo observed the transfer.
Immigration sources confirmed 37 of the 41 were Sinhalese, not Tamils, and the transfer had been undertaken in calm seas with no health issues.
Immigration minister Scott Morrison confirmed last night that the boat’s passengers had all been safely returned with the co-operation of the Sri Lankan government and that Australia’s international obligations had been met.
He would not comment on claims of a second boat.
“The Australian government will continue to act in accordance with our international obligations, including applicable international conventions and to protect the safety of life at sea,” Mr Morrison told The Daily Telegraph.
“At the same time we will not allow people-smugglers to try and exploit and manipulate Australia’s support of these conventions as a tool to undermine Australia’s strong border protection regime that is stopping the boats and the deaths at sea,” he said.
“The government has once again demonstrated our resolve while refusing to be intimidated by the people smugglers, the advocates, Labor and the Greens, who have all been willing the government’s policies to fail. Once again they will be disappointed with our actions today
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/first-asylum-seeker-boat-returned-to-country-of-origin-wit...
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