The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison, has announced that the government will bring 157 Tamil asylum seekers to the Australian mainland for processing.
The Tamils have been on an Australian customs vessel in the Indian Ocean since last month. The High Court ruled that they could not be handed over to Sri Lankan officials.
The asylum seekers will have access to Indian consular officials but they will not be given the opportunity for resettlement in Australia. They are expected to be brought to Cocos Island and then to the Curtin detention centre in Western Australia, although Morrison would not confirm these details. [Read more…]