Australian churches welcome ruling against refugee "swap"

Sydney, August 31 (ENInews)--Christian leaders in Australia have welcomed
a ruling from Australia's highest court that Australia cannot send asylum
seekers to Malaysia, throwing the Australian government's refugee "swap"
plan into disarray.

A full bench of the High Court, in a 6-1 majority decision on 31 August,
found Immigration Minister Chris Bowen's declaration of Malaysia as a
country to process asylum seekers was "invalid." This made permanent an 8 August
injunction preventing Australia from transferring 800 asylum seekers to
Malaysia, in return for Malaysia sending 4,000 registered refugees.

The Uniting Church, Australia's third largest, welcomed the decision,
calling for asylum seekers to be processed in Australia within current laws.
"What this shows is that the government has not paid enough care to the law,"
said the Rev. Elenie Poulos, the church's national director for justice.
"These people are vulnerable. We don't want offshore processes; it's not
appropriate. We have an obligation to welcome the alien, care for the
stranger, and care for those in need."