Malaysia, Australia sign asylum seeker swap deal

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Australia on Monday signed a controversial
deal to send hundreds of boatpeople to the Southeast Asian nation,
despite heavy criticism from rights groups.

Under the agreement inked in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will take 800
asylum seekers who have arrived in Australia by boat, in return for
Australia accepting 4,000 processed refugees for resettlement.


As Malaysia’s Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and
Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen signed the pact, a small
group of activists held a protest outside the hotel venue to denounce
the transfer agreement.


One placard held by one of about a dozen protesters said:
“Refugees are not political football, treat them with respect and
dignity.”


The agreement, part of Canberra’s push to develop a regional
solution to people smuggling, is designed to deter boatpeople from
making the dangerous sea journey to Australia.

But the plan
has sparked concern because Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN
Refugee Convention, nor has it ratified the UN Convention against
Torture.


The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has not approved the swap proposal.

Amnesty International has said that asylum seekers sent to Malaysia
could face lengthy waits to determine their status, as well as inhumane
detention conditions, and even torture in the form of caning.


In Australia, about 200 demonstrators marched to an Australian
immigration detention centre on Sunday to protest the deal with
Malaysia. - AFP

aiyo ... fr frying pan into d fire ... so pitiful ... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]