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Monday, April 25, 2011 - 04.00 GMT |
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Another asylum boat arrives in Australia |
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A boatload of asylum seekers which mostly include Sri Lankans have arrived in Australian territory during the weekend.
According to Skynews the boat came ashore at the Cocos Islands, about halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka.
81 passengers and crew were on the boat and it's believed most are Sri Lankans. They'll be taken to Christmas Island for processing. The Cocos Islands are home to just 600 people and it's understood they're struggling to cope with the arrivals, the Skynews reported.
The UNHCR last year said Given the cessation of hostilities, Sri Lankans originating from the north of the country are no longer in need of international protection under broader refugee criteria or complementary forms of protection solely on the basis of risk of indiscriminate harm.
The UN Refugee Agency releasing a report in 2010, titled 'Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Sri Lanka', further says that human rights and security situation in Sri Lanka has improved.
'In light of the improved human rights and security situation in Sri Lanka, there is no longer a need for group-based protection mechanisms or for a presumption of eligibility for Sri Lankans of Tamil ethnicity originating from the north of the country', UNHCR report stated.
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