Advertisement

Australia to send back Sri Lankan refugees

SYDNEY, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Australia will send back 85 Sri Lankans for breaching international refugee conventions, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Friday.

The asylum seekers, who were intercepted Wednesday, will be returned back to their country via Indonesia, which is not a signatory to the United Nations refugee convention. Secret talks between Sri Lanka, Australia, and Indonesia were held Thursday, the Australian daily said.

Advertisement

"Sri Lanka's position is that they have traveled illegally to another country and they should be returned to Sri Lanka," Sri Lanka's ambassador Indonesia Janaka Perara said, according to the newspaper.

Latest Headlines