Kylie Williams, Canberra – International human rights groups have lodged a formal protest over Australia's tough new immigration laws in a letter urging the government to adopt humane refugee policies toward Papuans.

A group of 47 rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch and the International Immigrants' Foundation, wrote to Prime Minister John Howard protesting that the new laws contravene an important refugee convention to which Australia is a signatory.

"We, the undersigned organisations, protest in the strongest terms possible your government's announced plan to seek national legislation extending the 'Pacific Solution' to anyone intercepted attempting to enter Australia by boat without a visa," the letter said.

"As described by officials of your government, many of the plan's components we believe are in violation of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, to which Australia is a party."

The groups also call upon the Australian government to uphold refugee conventions and recognise the plight of Papuan asylum seekers.

"We call upon your government to uphold its obligations under the Refugee Convention, to recognise the plight of Papuans suffering brutalisation on your doorstep, and to adopt humane refugee policies in keeping with the widely recognised principles of the Australian people," the letter said.

The controversial new laws, which a number of moderate Liberal MPs have sought to soften, began their passage through parliament yesterday.

Under the changes, all asylum seekers landing illegally on the mainland will be sent to offshore detention centres in Nauru or Papua New Guinea's Manus Island to be processed.

The rights groups said it was obvious that the new laws were aimed at Papuan asylum seekers. "This discriminatory proposal is especially aimed at denying refuge to those fleeing persecution in West Papua and seeking asylum in Australia," the letter said.

In March, Australia granted temporary protection visas to 42 asylum seekers from the separatist Indonesian province of Papua, a move which has badly soured relations with Indonesia.

The Papuans arrived on Cape York in January and despite landing on the mainland were taken to Christmas Island while their asylum claims were assessed.