Australia flies refugees to PNG

Australia is paying Nauru $10m to accept boat people

Australia completed on Monday the transfer of more than 220 asylum seekers from its territory to the remote Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

The mainly Iraqi asylum seekers were flown from Australia's Christmas Island on three air force C-130 Hercules transport planes.

In an agreement with the PNG Government, the asylum seekers will stay in an a former World War II air and naval staging point while they have their claims processed.

Another boatload, with about 180 people who say they are fleeing Afghanistan, remains moored off Christmas Island refusing to sail back into international waters.

Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said on Monday he was examining the options available. A decision on what to do with the latest boat people is expected to be made within the next few days.

Australia is in the middle of a general election campaign and the ruling Liberal Party has seen its popularity rise dramatically since Prime Minister John Howard first adopted a hardline policy towards asylum seekers in late August.

Howard's election prospects have been boosted by the refugee issue

An immigration spokesman said the Manus Island centre - about 350km (210 miles) off PNG' north east coastline - had the capacity to take more refugees but that an agreement would have to be reached with the PNG Government before they could be sent there.

About 1,500 refugees have been turned away by Australia since August.

Last week, for the first time, Australia's navy boarded a boat full of about 200 asylum seekers and forced it turn back to Indonesia.

Border controls

The government has also recently passed border control laws which it says allow asylum seekers to be turned away from certain remote islands, such as Christmas Island.

Human rights groups have criticised the changes, saying Australia's actions could place it in breach of its obligations under international human rights agreements.

The Australian Government has approached several more Pacific nations asking if they will allow refugees to be landed on their territory while their asylum applications for entry to Australia are processed.

Nauru - the world's smallest republic - has accepted about 800 refugees in return for about $10m aid. But the hurriedly constructed detention camp in the island's barren centre is thought to be at full capacity.