By Joseph Juhn
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

SYDNEY, Australia – The Australian government plans to transfer all asylum seekers currently located in Christmas Island to a mainland detention center. These refugees – about 600 Afghans and 150 Sri Lankans – have arrived by boat since the suspension took effect in April of this year.

Australia’s immigration minister Chris Evans says the government is looking for mainland sites to accommodate the asylum seekers.

“It is our intention to take that cohort probably in the first instance to Curtin where we’re increasing our capacity, but we’ll obviously make judgments based on individuals,” he said.

Senator Evans says he hopes the improving situation in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka – where most of refugees come from – will soon allow the Australian government to send some of the asylum seekers back.

“The experience we’ve had since the suspension has confirmed what we were seeing in the few months before that – that we’re getting a much higher refusal rate,” he said.

“Many of the people who are coming to this country are no longer found to be refugees and we’re able to – at the end of their processes – potentially return them.”

For more information, please see:

Radio New Zealand – Asylum seekers being moved to mainland – 3 June 2010
Radio Australia – 750 asylum seekers head to Australian mainland centres – 3 June 2010
ABC News – 750 asylum seekers heading for mainland centres – 3 June 2010