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