Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

High number of Sri Lankans at Nauru detention camp raises concerns

Posted at 19:26 on 30 September, 2012 UTC

The Sydney based-Refugee Action Coalition says the latest transfer of 31 Sri Lankan asylum seekers to Nauru confirms the Australian government is discriminating against those from Sri Lanka.

In a statement, it is says the lack of transparency in the process and the discriminatory way in which the selection is being made is also creating enormous levels of distress within Australian detention centres.

The spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition, Ian Rintoul, says of the 151 sent to Nauru, 127 are Sri Lankan.

Mr Rintoul says this a serious disproportion of Sri Lankans and puts a question mark over the government’s selection procedures.

He says not only is the government’s policy discriminatory, it is also guilty of inflicting cruel punishment on those who arrived after the 13th of August but who have not been sent to Nauru.

The refugee activist says these people are in limbo and under a great deal of distress.

Ian Rintoul says it’s time for the government to end the farce and begin processing the asylum seekers that are Australia’s responsibility.