UN urges Australian rethink on asylum

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-34896900

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United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to rethink the country's border security policy.

Mr Ban voiced his concerns about Operation Sovereign Borders on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Nations (Asean) summit.

Australia sends asylum seekers to offshore detention centres and turns away boats carrying them.

A spokesperson for Mr Turnbull declined to comment.

According to a UN statement, Mr Ban and Mr Turnbull discussed several topics, including climate change and Syria.

Mr Ban addressed the topic of refugees using very direct language, expressing "concern" and asking that Mr Turnbull "reconsider" the policy.

"Noting Australia's longstanding commitment to refugee resettlement, the Secretary General appealed to the prime minister to share responsibilities," the statement said.

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The comments followed reports the Australian Navy intercepted a suspected asylum-seeker boat near Christmas Island last Friday.

The immigration department did not comment on the incident.

The last documented asylum-seeker boat arrival to Australia was in 2014, when a group of 157 Tamil asylum seekers was intercepted north of Christmas Island.