The Australian Government offered an apology after a naval vessel entered Indonesian waters during the week. The Indonesian Government responded by increasing patrols of its sea borders and demanding the immediate cessation of Operation Sovereign Borders.
The Guardian reported that a group of asylum seekers were forced back to Indonesia in a lifeboat after being intercepted by the Australian navy near Christmas Island.
The Government has announced the closure of four detention centres on the Australian mainland.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison rejected a claim by Fairfax media an Australian naval vessel fired warning shots at an asylum seeker boat.
The UN warned that the ‘seeds of a genocide’ were present after refugees fleeing the Central African Republic spoke about murderous attacks perpetrated by Christians against Muslims.
Food aid arrived at a Syrian refugee camp for the first time in four months following reports that dozens of refugees had died of starvation at the camp since October. There are an estimated 6.5 million internally displaced people in Syria.