Canberra, Jan.2 (ANI): Australias Leader of Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, has called on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to immediately reverse a decision to allow former Guantanamo Bay inmates to resettle in Australia.
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said on Macquarie Radio the situation was unacceptable.
“It’’s only in this morning’’s report in The Australian that the Rudd government has made clear that it will accept these inmates of Guantanamo Bay,” he said.
“One of the things that is most troubling … is whether the Government would do so, accept former inmates from Guantanamo Bay, without disclosing that they have done so. “This is why we need Mr. Rudd to immediately and categorically reverse this decision to accept inmates of Guantanamo Bay for resettlement in Australia,” news.com.au quoted Turnbull, as saying.
Turnbull warned that the inmates could arrive in Australia as refugees through existing migration processes.
“They cannot be accepted on the basis that they go into custody, because they haven”t committed any crime under Australian law,” he said.
He was reacting to acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirmation that Australia, along with a number of other countries, has been approached to consider resettling detainees from Guantanamo Bay. (ANI)