Asylum seekers could be deported from Australia to Malaysia within a week

Lanai Vasek
From:The Australian
August 30, 201112:31PM

ASYLUM seekers could be removed from Australia within a week if the High Court rules in favour of the Malaysia plan tomorrow.

The International Organisation for Migration confirmed to The Australian Online that their staff were on standby to accept arrivals as early as Thursday, with an official holiday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan tomorrow.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen's office also confirmed that two transit centres in Port Dickson outside of Kuala Lumpur were ready to accept transfers, with no further updates to be completed.

The Minister's spokesman however would not speculate on when transfers would commence, prior to tomorrow's High Court's ruling.

The Gillard government's Malaysian Solution was put on ice earlier this month with Melbourne lawyer David Manne winning a High Court injunction to prevent deportations.

Mr Manne has also mounted a wider challenge against the Malaysian Solution, with a ruling expected tomorrow.

The IOM's regional representative Chris Lom said if the High Court ruled in the Australian Government's favour it would feasible that transfers could begin as early as next week.

He said the IOM would provide medical staff, social workers and humanitarian staff to deal with asylum applications at the transit centres.

Mr Lom said all other staff, including security and caretakers, would be provided under the agreement between the Malaysian and Australian governments.

"The end of Ramadan is a really big deal in the Arab world so I would assume that most people would not be back at work until after then," Mr Lom told The Australian Online.

"I guess if the High Court challenge goes the Australian Government's way transfers could start after then."

The challenge to the federal government's Malaysia Solution relies on two arguments; that asylum-seekers arriving in Australia have a right to have claims for refugee protection assessed here, and that the High Court can review Immigration Minister Chris Bowen's declaration that Malaysia is a suitable destination for off-shore processing.

If defeated asylum-seekers would spend up to 45 days in one of the two transit centres in Malaysia before being released into the community.

The deal between Australia and Malaysia could see up to 800 asylum-seekers sent to Kuala Lumpur in return for Australia accepting an extra 4000 humanitarian refugees.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nationa ... 6125452841