Australia: Fear of forcible repatriation

Index Number: ASA 12/003/2001
Date Published: 28 August 2001
Categories: Asia And The Pacific, Australia

The Australian authorities are refusing to accept a ship carrying 438 refugees, including children and pregnant women, and have sent troops on board to prevent it from docking. The Indonesian government has also refused the ship permission to land, and Amnesty International is concerned that those on board may be forcibly returned to countries where they would risk being tortured or killed.