Refugee swap deal
August 2, 2011
The move comes after the two countries signed a controversial deal last week. Under the agreement the first 800 asylum seekers to arrive by boat in Australian waters will be screened, then sent back to Malaysia within three days of their arrival.
They will be placed in a transit center in Malaysia for up to 45 days where their refugee status will be processed by the UNHCR. They will then be relocated into local communities in Malaysia and given access to jobs, education and healthcare.
In exchange, Australia will accept 4000 certified refugees from Malaysia. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has voiced support for the initiative which is intended to scare away further arrivals. The Prime Minister has also approved the use of force to ensure asylum seekers get on and off planes.
Step towards "Transparency"
Julia Gillard says video clips would increase transparency in Australia's border protection system. The Immigration Department maintains that posting the videos online would send a powerful message to people-smugglers and their customers that if they attempt the voyage to Australia they will be returned to Malaysia.
Most of those arriving in Australia on rickety wooden fishing boats are from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Australia is insisting that potential asylum seekers have access to social media and will be able to see the videos.
Campaign groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have opposed the deal with Malaysia, accusing Australia of shirking its responsibility to boat people and ignoring their human rights by sending them to a country that is not a signatory to the United Nations convention on refugees.
Border protection is a high priority with Australian voters, although U.N. figures show Australia receiving just under 0.5 percent of the world's asylum seekers. YouTube was used by Australia for three years to deter boat people, with a dramatized video of people in detention or losing their lives at sea, but this would be the first time real asylum seekers would be filmed being expelled from Australia.
Author: Sachin Gaur (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Grahame Lucas