ນາຍົກລັດຖະມົນຕີອອສເຕຣເລຍ ທ່ານສະກັອຕ ມໍຣິສັນ ໄດ້ປະກາດໃນວັນພຸດວານ
ນີ້ວ່າ ລັດຖະບານຈະເປີດຄືນ ສູນກັກຂັງທີ່ເປັນບັນຫາໂຕ້ແຍ້ງ ສຳລັບຜູ້ຊອກສະແຫວງ
ຫາການລີ້ໄພ.
ສູນກັກຂັງ ຢູ່ທີ່ເກາະຄຣິສມັສ ຊຶ່ງເປັນເກາະດອນນ້ອຍໆ ຂອງອອສເຕຣເລຍ ໃນມະ
ຫາສະໝຸດອິນເດຍ ຕັ້ງຢູ່ 2,500 ກິໂລແມັດ ທາງພາກຕາເວັນຕົກສຽງເໜືອເມືອງ
ເພີດ ຂອງອອສເຕຣເລຍ ໄດ້ປິດລົງພຽງແຕ່ສີ່ເດືອນກ່ອນ. ການຕັດສິນໃຈເປີດສະ
ຖານທີ່ດັ່ງກ່າວຄືນໃໝ່ ມີຂື້ນຫຼັງຈາກບັນດາສະມາຊິກສະພາ ໃນຕົ້ນອາທິດນີ້ ໄດ້
ຮັບຜ່ານຮ່າງກົດໝາຍທີ່ຈະອະນຸຍາດໃຫ້ພວກທ່ານໝໍສົ່ງພວກຂໍລີ້ໄພທີ່ຖືກກັກຂັງ
ຢູ່ໃນສູນ ປະເທດເກາະປາຊິຟິກ ນາອູຣູ ແລະປາປົວ ນິວກີນີ ໄປຍັງອອສເຕຣເລຍ
ເພື່ອຮັບການປິ່ນປົວ. ເປັນເທື່ອທຳອິດໃນຫຼາຍສິບປີທີ່ລັດຖະບານອອສເຕຣເລຍ
ເສຍໄຊໃນການລົງຄະແນນສຽງກ່ຽວກັບຮ່າງກົດໝາຍຂອງຕົນຢູ່ໃນສະພາຕ່ຳ
ບ່ອນທີ່ພັກຕ່າງໆຕ້ອງການສຽງສ່ວນຫຼາຍເພື່ອຈັດຕັ້ງລັດຖະບານປະສົມ.
ນາຍົກລັດຖະມົນຕີມໍຣິສັນກ່າວວ່າ ລັດຖະບານຈະເປີດສະຖານທີ່ຄຸມຂັງ ຢູ່ເກາະ
ຄຣິສມັສຄືນໃໝ່ ກໍເພື່ອຮັບມືກັບຄວາມເປັນໄປໄດ້ຂອງຄື້ນຟອງຜູ້ຊອກຫາການລີ້
ໄພ ທີ່ພະຍາຍາມເຂົ້າມາໃນອອສເຕຣເລຍໂດຍທາງເຮືອ. ທ່ານໄດ້ປະນາມກົດ
ໝາຍໃໝ່ນັ້ນວ່າ ເປັນພະຍາຍາມຂອງພັກຝ່າຍຄ້ານ ຄືພັກແຮງງານ ທີ່ຈະເຮັດໃຫ້
ນະໂຍບາຍຄົນເຂົ້າເມືອງຂອງອອສເຕຣເລຍອ່ອນແອລົງ ຊຶ່ງຈະສົ່ງຜູ້ຊອກຫາການ
ຂໍລີ້ໄພໄປຢູ່ເກາະນາອູຣູ ແລະປາປົວ ນິວກີນີ ແລະຫ້າມເຂົາເຈົ້າບໍ່ໃຫ້ເຂົ້າມາຕັ້ງ
ຖິ່ນຖານ ຢູ່ໃນອອສເຕຣເລຍ.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Wednesday that the government will reopen a controversial detention center for asylum seekers.
The facility on Christmas Island, a small Australian territory in the Indian Ocean located 2,500 kilometers north-west of the Australian city of Perth, was shut down just four months ago. The decision to reopen the facility comes after lawmakers earlier this week approved legislation that would allow doctors to send asylum seekers held on detention centers on the Pacific island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea to Australia for medical treatment. It was the first time in decades that an Australian government lost a vote on its own legislation in the House of Representatives, where parties need a majority to form an administration.
Prime Minister Morrison said the government is reopening the Christmas Island facility was to handle a possible new wave of asylum seekers attempting to reach Australia by boat. He denounced the new law as an attempt by the opposition Labor Party to weaken Australia's hardline immigration policy, which sends asylum seekers to either Nauru and Papua New Guinea and bans them from resettling Australia.
Many of the detainees are from war-torn nations in the Middle East and Asia who were intercepted sailing on flimsy boats operated by people smugglers. Hundreds of would-be asylum seekers drowned while making the perilous sea voyage.
The United Nations and human rights groups have condemned Australia for its treatment of the asylum seekers, who have been held for years under harsh conditions while their applications for refugee status are investigated. Many of the detainees have attempted suicide or have begun harming themselves, and allegations have surfaced of widespread abuse of inmates, including children.
