By
Sarah Hawke
Updated
Another
group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers has asked to be sent home, rather than risk
Australia sending them to an offshore processing facility.
Immigration
Minister Chris Bowen says the group consists of 28 men who arrived both before
and after the new processing arrangements for Nauru and Manus Island were
announced in August.He says the men have come from detention centres on Nauru, Christmas Island, as well as mainland facilities including Villawood and Northam.
The men are on a flight to Colombo that departed Christmas Island on Saturday morning.
Earlier this month another group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers opted to head home rather than be sent to Nauru.
The national president of the Migration Institute of Australia, Angela Chan, says asylum seekers are starting to get the message.
"It appears that the measures that they've introduced recently are having an effect," she said.
"Obviously it'll be proven by the test of time. They are very tough measures and it certainly is a disincentive for many people."
Meanwhile, the Department of Immigration has confirmed that 52 boats and nearly 3,200 passengers have been intercepted since the new processing arrangements came into force.
It has also confirmed more than 300 asylum seekers were intercepted from three boats in Australian waters on Friday.
But Ian Rintoul of the Refugee Action Coalition says the Government will have to process asylum seekers in Australia again, because its offshore centre is full.
"I doubt very much that information is being given to the asylum seekers," he said.
"We know that the Government's commitment is to Nauru, they're unlikely to tell people that Nauru is full, that the temporary quota of 150 has been met.
"So it's very likely that people who are in Australia now will actually be processed in Australia."
A total of 150 asylum seekers have now been taken to Nauru under the new policy.
