30 asylum seekers who arrived from Sri Lanka have been transferred from Christmas Island to Nauru, as Australia restarted its controversial offshore processing scheme.
The men will remain at a camp in the Pacific island of Nauru in temporary tents until permanent accommodation has been constructed. They will stay on the island until their claims for asylum have been processed.
The move was criticised by human rights groups including the Australian Human Rights Commission who rebuked the use of five-man tents to house the asylum seekers and their ambiguous legal rights.
Australian Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs expressed "serious concerns” over the move stating,
"There is no information as to how prepared Nauru is to process the claims, and it is unclear whether those transferred to Nauru will have access to legal advice"
The controversial offshore processing program was halted in 2008 with the closure of Nauru camp which frequently saw hunger strikes from detainees over the length of their stay and conditions on the island.
See a report from Al Jazeera on the Nauru camp below.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen however defended the move saying,
"The message is very clear: if you arrive in Australia by boat you can be taken from Australia by aeroplane and processed in another country."
