Australia and Malaysia sign refugee swap agreement 25 July 2011 Last updated at 06:33 GMT

 

Australian and Malaysian officials have signed a controversial deal intended to stem the flow of asylum seekers travelling to Australia by boat.

The deal involves Australia sending 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia, in exchange for 4,000 registered refugees.
The plan has met strong objections from opposition politicians in both countries and human rights groups.
Asylum seekers already in Australian detentions centres have held protests against the deal for several days.
Immigration has been a toxic issue for successive Australian governments.
Malaysia's Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen signed the agreement in Kuala Lumpur.
Mr Hishammuddin pledged that asylum seekers sent to Malaysia would be treated according to the UN refugee agency's international standards.
"The allegation that Malaysia is not fair toward refugees in this country is completely untrue," he said.

Malaysia is home to tens of thousands of illegal migrants and is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, nor has it ratified the UN Convention against Torture.

Human rights groups say they are concerned that asylum seekers sent to Malaysia may be held for long periods of time while their status is determined, and be subjected to inhumane conditions.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor has defended the deal, saying it represented "an historic and innovative approach" to undermining the people-smugglers' business model.
Meanwhile, refugee claimants held at Australia's Christmas Island detention centre have expressed frustration at long delays and overcrowding through several nights of violent protests in the last week.
As Mr Bowen flew to Malaysia, local media reported a mass hunger strike at a Queensland detention centre, a roof-top protest at Darwin's detention centre, and the interception of another boat carrying 47 asylum seekers off the Australian coast.
Australia currently has more than 6,000 asylum seekers in detention, originating from countries including Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
The UN has previously criticised Australia for holding all asylum seekers while their applications are assessed.
The migrants are held for months at the Christmas Island centre, about 1,500 miles (2,400km) from the Australian mainland, and in other facilities.