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Australian
fears
that ex-LTTE
fighters
may be
passing
themselves
off as
refugees
will
lead to
the
latest
boatload
of
unauthorized
arrivals
-
believed
to be
Tamils -
being
subjected
to a
particularly
rigorous
security
screening
process,
reported
The
Australian
today
(June
30). It also
said the
Australian
has been
told the
recent
defeat
of the
LTTE in
their
stronghold
in
northeastern
Sri
Lanka
has led
to
concerns
that
Tamil
fighters
may seek
to flee
the
island.
Tamils
are
understood
to
comprise
most of
the 194
asylum-seekers
who
arrived
at
Christmas
Island
on
Sunday,
the
largest
single
group
since
the
current
influx
began
last
year.
The
Australian
authorities
were
conscious
of the
potential
security
risk the
situation
in Sri
Lanka
presented,
following
the
defeat
of the
LTTE a
senior
government
officer
said.
"That's
at the
forefront
of
everyone's
mind,"
he said.
"We're
certainly
conscious
of the
issue."
Almost
300 Sri
Lankans
have so
far
arrived
by boat
in the
current
wave of
arrivals,
including
those on
Sunday's
boat.
While
some are
understood
to be
ethnic
Tamils,
none has
so far
qualified
as a
refugee.
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