Sri Lankan boatpeople return home

A second batch of Sri Lankan men departed Christmas Island on Saturday after opting to return to their homeland instead of being transferred to Nauru to wait for their asylum claims to be processed.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said that frequent transfers to Nauru coupled with more Sri Lankans choosing to head home is proof that people smugglers make false promises and sell lies about what the situation will be like in Australia.

Bowen revealed that the group was made up of 20 from Christmas Island, six from mainland detention centres and two from Nauru. He said that people in immigration detention are permitted to ask to leave the country at any time, adding that those who do so voluntarily are offered individual reintegration support via the International Organization for Migration to help them have a sustainable return.

The group of men left Christmas Island shortly after Australian authorities intercepted a boat carrying 72 asylum seekers north of the Cocos Islands on Friday. The vessel was spotted by the Australian Customs boat, Hervey Bay, approximately five nautical miles offshore.%
A Customs and Border Protection Spokeswoman said that the asylum seekers were being transported to Cocos Island before being transferred to Christmas Island. She added that the passengers’ nationalities are not yet known.