19 Sep 2002

Australia processes more boatpeople at Pacific detention centres

4:25 pm on 19 September 2002

Australia says its latest assessment of boatpeople in camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea has found that 138 asylumseekers are not refugees.

The immigration department says of those 130 are from Afghanistan where a US-led campaign last year toppled the Taliban government.

The department also says 44 people had their asylum applications accepted.

A spokesman for the department says more decisions are expected soon.

All asylum seekers on Nauru and on Manus in PNG have now received the outcome of their initial refugee status assessment.