Due to improving conditions in Sri Lanka, claims by asylum seekers from that country should be considered on their individual merits rather than on a group basis, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

The UNHCR in a press briefing in Switzerland praised Canada for its handling of a boatload of 490 Tamil migrants who were smuggled into the country off the coast of B.C. last week.

The UNHCR singled out the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) for its processing of the MV Sun Sea migrants.

UNHCR officials said there are 146,100 Sri Lankan refugees in 64 countries. The top countries for resettlement includes India, with 73,200 claimants accepted, France with 20,500, Canada with 19,150 and Germany with 12,250.

The bottom of a Top 10 list of countries for accepting Tamils included Australia, which has accepted 2,000, the U.S. with 1,500 and Italy with 960, the Toronto Sun reported.