Australia’s High Court has blocked the government from transferring a group of asylum seekers to Malaysia until it can hear a legal challenge to the controversial swap plan later this month. The court on Monday set a date of August 22 to hear the challenge, which seeks to prevent the government from sending 800 undocumented […]
Australian Court Blocks Malaysia Refugee Swap Pending Hearing
Posted August 8th, 2011 at 2:50 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment
Australian Judge Delays First Refugee Transfer to Malaysia
Posted August 7th, 2011 at 11:40 pm (UTC-5)
Monday’s transfer of a first group of asylum seekers from Australia to Malaysia has been delayed to allow a court to consider a last-minute challenge to the refugee swap. A High Court judge in Melbourne ruled late Sunday that the transfer cannot go forward before late afternoon. That will permit another judge in Canberra to […]
UN Fears for Children in Australia Refugee Swap
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 3:05 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations’ children’s agency urged Australia Friday not to send 14 unaccompanied children to Malaysia under a refugee swap deal signed last month. Australian officials moved 55 asylum seekers, including 14 minors without parents or guardians, to a detention center on Christmas Island Thursday. They are to be moved to Malaysia next week. UNICEF […]
Australia Transfers Asylum Seekers Ahead of Refugee Swap
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 5:35 am (UTC-5)
Australian officials moved 54 undocumented asylum seekers to its remote Christmas Island facility Thursday ahead of their scheduled transfer to Malaysia. Dozens of Australian security forces stood by at a dock on Christmas Island as the refugees were brought ashore from a customs ship and placed onto a waiting bus. The mainly Afghan refugees, who […]
Australian Parliament Condemns Planned Refugee Swap
Posted June 16th, 2011 at 4:15 am (UTC-5)
Australia’s parliament has voted narrowly to condemn a planned refugee swap with Malaysia, raising doubts whether the government will be able to carry through with the controversial plan. The left-wing Greens party joined the conservative opposition to criticize the scheme, which would send 800 undocumented asylum seekers to be detained in Malaysia while their requests […]
British Lawmakers Say Asylum Seekers Have Gotten ‘Amnesty’
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
A British parliamentary investigation has concluded that so many asylum seekers have been allowed to stay in the country that it amounted to an “amnesty” for them. In a scathing assessment Thursday of Britain’s immigration agency, the lawmakers found that “a very large number” of asylum seekers remain in the country “who either have no […]
