Australia asylum: Court given 72-hour warning pledge

Australia says it will not return a group of asylum seekers to Sri Lanka without giving 72 hours notice. The promise came at an emergency court hearing over the fate of the 153-strong group, who were intercepted at sea. Rights lawyers filed the challenge after Australia confirmed on Monday it had handed over a separate group of 41 asylum seekers to the Sri Lankan navy. Rights group say screening asylum seekers at sea and returning them may violate their rights. Reports of two boats stopped at sea had been circulating since last week. On Monday, after the government confirmed it had returned one boat-load, lawyers obtained an interim order regarding the second boat. Until today, the government has refused to comment on the second boat. The group, who lawyers say are Tamil, are now on an Australian vessel, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. Rights groups say Tamils can still face intimidation and violence in Sri Lanka, five years after the end of the civil war, which pitted the majority Sinhalese Sri Lankan military against Tamil separatists. Lawyers for the group argued in court that they had not had access to proper asylum procedures. But Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson said the boat was found outside Australia's migration zone, meaning the group had no right to claim asylum. The case has now been adjourned until Friday, according to BBC.