Landmark deal for 800 Australia asylum seekers

KUALA LUMPUR (AP):

Malaysia will accept 800 asylum seekers who entered Australia illegally by sea in a groundbreaking deal between the two countries to tackle people smuggling.

In return, Australia will resettle 4,000 registered refugees living in Malaysia, according to a joint government statement late last Saturday. The political opposition in Australia slammed the plan.

Australia has long attracted people from poor, often war-ravaged countries hoping to start a new life, with more than 6,200 asylum seekers arriving in the country by boat last year. Most are from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and Iraq, and use Malaysia or Indonesia as a starting point for a dangerous sea journey to Australia.

"This landmark agreement will help take away the product people smugglers are trying to sell , a ticket to Australia," Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a separate statement.

"The key message this will deliver to people smugglers and those seeking to make the dangerous sea voyage to Australia is: do not get on that boat," she said. "Under this arrangement, if you arrive in Australian waters and are taken to Malaysia, you will go to the back of the queue."

Both countries will work closely with the United Nations high commissioner for refugees and the International Organization for Migration to implement the arrange-ment, which will be finalised soon, the statement said.