The father of two Afghan boys who walked into the British consulate in Melbourne and asked for asylum has admitted he has not lived in his homeland for “many years”, it was reported today.

An Australian judge today said he was alarmed at a report on the mental health of two boys who sought asylum at a British consulate after fleeing an Outback detention centre for illegal immigrants.

About 300 supporters of asylum seekers attended a rally in Sydney today attended by Ali Baktiari, the father of two boys at the centre of Australia’s latest detention row.

IN a taped interview, one of the two brothers who unsuccessfully sought asylum at the British consulate in Melbourne yesterday described how he tried to commit suicide inside the Woomera detention camp.

DURING the week, the first annual report of the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner was published, and it showed that 6,631 applications for refugee status were rejected last year.