FED:Judge delays deportation to Malaysia

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2011
FED:Judge delays deportation to Malaysia

Lawyer DAVID MANNE from the Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre says his injunction
seeking to stop the deportation of the asylum seekers deals with life and death matters.

The injunction has been granted at a special hearing of the court in Melbourne tonight
resulting in an order to delay in the departure of the first asylum seekers to Malaysia
under Australia's swap deal with that country.

Justice KENNETH HAYNE has ordered the asylum seekers, due to leave Australia at 11.30am
(AEST) tomorrow, not depart before 4.15pm (AEST), pending the hearing of another application
in the High Court in Canberra at 2.15pm (AEST).

Mr MANNE says Malaysia has a longstanding record of serious mistreatment of asylum
seekers and refugees, including beatings, whippings, canings and deportation.

A boat carrying fifty passengers and two crew was intercepted in Australian waters
on this morning as the government was prepared to fly some asylum seekers already detained
on Christmas Island to Kuala Lumpur.

Today's boat was the second to arrive since the government last month signed a deal
to send eight hundred asylum seekers to Malaysia in return for accepting four thousand
processed refugees.

aap RTV jxt/nap

KEYWORD: BOAT (MELBOURNE)

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