Australia will be raising the issue of the 153 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers with India on Tuesday, when Australian immigration minister Scott Morrison will be meeting with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and home minister Rajnath Singh.

The asylum seekers, who are now at the centre of legal wrangles, had set off for Australia from a refugee camp in Podicherry.

In an earlier encounter Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister G L Peiris and Sushma Swaraj had a discussion regarding the Sri Lankan asylum seekers in Australia and India. This discussion was held during the Foreign Minister’s tour of India.

The Tony Abbot government has a tough immigration position as one of the centre pieces of its domestic and foreign policy.

However, it remains to be seen if Australia can persuade India to take back the Lankan Tamil refugees. ENS

The Sri Lankan Tamil organizations expressed their concern over the fate of Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers’ wellbeing and demanded the government to take proper action to ensure their safety.

(With inputs from 'The Hindu')