International organizations dealing with the boatload of asylum seekers denied entry by Australia said on Tuesday they were awaiting an Australian court decision before deciding about their final destination.
The Geneva-based International Organization of Migration (IOM), which is assisting the refugees on board the Australian troopship Manoora, said it was not able to give them advice about their legal status.
"It goes without saying that the transfer of these people to Port Moresby, Nauru and New Zealand is conditional on the judicial decision that will soon be handed down by the federal court in Melbourne," said Jean-Phillipe Chauzy, an IOM spokesman.
Australia's Federal Court is hearing a challenge by civil liberties groups against the government's right to deny the boatpeople entry.
"This boat is taking at least a week to reach Port Moresby, so if a decision comes tomorrow, the boat shouldn't be that far off from, let's say, Darwin," Chauzy added.
The boatpeople were transferred earlier Tuesday to the Manoora from the Norwegian freighter Tampa which rescued them from a sinking ferry on August 26.
Chauzy said the transfer had been "calm and orderly" and the 430 asylum seekers would be registered on board the Manoora while it sails to Papua New Guinea.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency said it was considering whether to screen about 280 of the boatpeople going to Nauru. New Zealand has agreed to take 150 refugees.
"UNHCR has been now officially requested by the government of Nauru to be involved in screening if and when these people arrive in Nauru and UNHCR is now considering that request," Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said.
Individual screening would help to decide if an asylum seeker is granted internationally-recognised protection as a refugee, or can effectively be expelled as an economic migrant.
Redmond said UNHCR, which has an international mandate to protect refugees, had not been able to see the asylum-seekers yet or speak to the crew of the Norwegian crew that picked them up. Most are thought to be Afghans.
"We cannot give you specific rulings on the legality of this at this moment and I doubt if there are too many people, if any, who could," Redmond added.
Refugee officials fear the Australian government's decision to turn the boatpeople back from Christmas Island may set a poor example.
"What are the poorer nations of the world, who bear most of the burden for the millions of refugees, what sort of lessons are they going to draw from this, the Zambias, the Tanzanias, the Pakistans, the Irans who between them have millions of refugees under their care and don't get a lot of international assistance," Redmond said -- GENEVA (AFP)
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