Fed: Around 20 WYD pilgrims seeking asylum in Australia

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-2008
Fed: Around 20 WYD pilgrims seeking asylum in Australia

CANBERRA, Aug 12 AAP - More World Youth Day pilgrims could seek asylum in Australia
once their three-month visa expires, a support group says.

About 20 pilgrims - mostly from African nations - have applied to stay in the country.

That number has not surprised the Asylum Seeker Centre of NSW which is handling the applications.

"At this stage we've had about 20 people present to us as identified pilgrims, indicating
that they're needing to seek protection in Australia," centre director Tamara Domicelj
told ABC Radio today.

"Any large event in Australia is going to absolutely have in amongst the people who
come here, those who are seeking protection.

"It's a very clear and known means for people to flee persecution in their country of origin."

It was something very much sanctioned under international law, Ms Domicelj said.

"We're seeing people from Cameroon, we're seeing people from Burundi, we're seeing
people from Kenya, we're seeing people from Pakistan.

It was hard to predict at this stage, whether there would be more applications.

"Obviously we're aware that there are pilgrims out there who have been given three-month
visas and so it might well be at the end of those three months we see a spike in applications
for protection."

AAP srj/rl/it/bwl

KEYWORD: YOUTH ASYLUM

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.