Australia is ending its policy of automatic detention for asylum seekers who arrive in the country without visas. Detention in immigration centers will be used only as a last resort and for the shortest possible time, Immigration Minister Chris Evans. Children and adults who are not considered a security risk will no longer be held, Mr. Evans said. The presumption will be that they will remain in the country while their status is resolved, he said. In addition, the cases of adults who are detained will be reviewed every three months.
The Rudd government has already dismantled some aspects of the Howard immigration policy. It ended the so-called Pacific solution, involving detention camps on the islands of Nauru and Manus, where illegal immigrants arriving by boat were held while the United Nations tried to find them third countries in which to settle. It has also closed the Woomera detention center in southern Australia, where conditions were condemned by human rights advocates and the United Nations.
No comments:
Post a Comment