Second group of Lankans sent to Nauru

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 01:48 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Australian Federal Government has sent a second group of asylum seekers to Nauru but says it will take more time for its new offshore processing policies to start stemming the flow of boat arrivals from Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says another 36 Sri Lankan men arrived on the isolated Pacific island at 7.30am local time on Tuesday. They will be housed in tents alongside 30 Sri Lankan men sent there last week. The Nauruan Government says the transfer occurred without incident and the men appear relaxed.

Bowen says future transfers will include a broad cross-section of people, including families and groups with special needs such as children.

But it will take time for people smugglers and asylum seekers to get the message that the policy is up and running.“That will take a little bit of time, it would take the transfers to be occurring on a regular basis,” the Minister told reporters in Canberra. The Salvation Army, which is helping care for asylum seekers sent to Nauru, said facilities should be improved before any women and children are sent there.

“We certainly would be keen to see more development happen with facilities prior to that happening,” Salvation Army Spokesman Paul Moulds told the ABC. “But at the end of the day, that’s not our decision, and I’m sure that the intention is that the facilities are developed far further before that happens.”

(ninemsn.com)