The federal government has begun returning Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, amid signs that the threat to minority groups there and in Afghanistan is easing.

 

Last night immigration officials were preparing to deport three Tamils from Christmas Island to Sri Lanka.

 

Three have already gone and more are expected to follow, with 35 others from a range of countries with cases now before a merits review.

 

The deportations have implications for the people detained on Christmas Island and could act as a deterrent to asylum seekers still considering coming to Australia.

 

The government’s decision comes as the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has said it is reconsidering its international safety guidelines for Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, the source of most asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat.

 

The UNHCR’s regional representative, Richard Towle, said the threat in Sri Lankawas easing. The country’s 20-year civil war was declared over last May with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.

 

“There has been a significant number who have left the camp populations in Sri Lankaand are in the process of returning to their places and regions of origin,” Mr Towle said.

 

“There’s a long way to go in terms of rehabilitation and dealing with humanitarian issues around de-mining, but it’s certainly moving in the right direction and we think any review of the guidelines has to reflect these positive developments.”

 

The recent presidential election in Sri Lanka would affect the decision to change guidelines, he said. UN guidelines underpin the decisions of governments when they consider refugee claims.

 

Immigration Minister Chris Evans yesterday told ABC radio that conditions for Hazaras living in Afghanistan had also improved.

 

But he added that the flow of asylum seekers would not stop overnight. “We’re still going to see strong numbers of arrivals in the short term.”

 

Refugee advocates have expressed concern about deporting people to potentially dangerous situations in their home countries.

 

Yesterday, a boat carrying eight asylum seekers and four crew was found 200 nautical miles west of the Tiwi Islands.

 

The federal opposition said it would do a better job of stopping the flow of asylum seekers if it was in power.

 

“Labor has failed to secure our borders,” opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said. “Australians know that the Coalition stopped the boats before and will again.”

 

The group will be taken to Christmas Island, where 1,872 people were held last night, just shy of the 2,040 beds available. The government has been forced to add tents to accommodate the growing number of arrivals.

 

Asylum seekers on the last three boats intercepted in Australian waters are still on their way to the island. – (The Age, Australia)