CANBERRA DEFENDS ASYLUM DEAL WITH MALAYSIA

MELBOURNE, June 3 (Bernama) -- Australian Federal Attorney-General Robert
McClelland said the human rights of asylum seekers sent to Malaysia will be
respected.

A draft agreement between Australia and Malaysia, obtained by ABC
television's Lateline programme, showed that Malaysia wanted veto power over the
800 asylum seekers the Gillard government planned to transfer.

"It's been made clear that any agreement with Malaysia will ensure that the
people who are sent back to Malaysia are treated with decency," McClelland told
the Australian Associated Press (AAP) in Sydney on Friday.