Boatpeople arrive on Australian soil

Boatpeople arrive on Australian soil

AUSTRALIA: Iraqi boatpeople turned away by Australia 10 months
ago and shipped to a detention camp on Papua New Guinea have
finally arrived in the country after being deemed to be genuine
refugees.

A group of 42 Iraqis granted temporary refugee protection
visas by Australia were flown from a detention camp on Papua New
Guinea's Manus Island to Melbourne on Tuesday.

The Australian government, which won the November 2001
election aided by an anti-boatpeople platform vowing to stop
unauthorized asylum seekers from reaching the Australian
mainland, publicly announced the Iraqis' arrival.

Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock denied that the decision
meant the government was backing down on its campaign rhetoric.
--Reuters