Tougher screening for Tamils over fears of an influx of ex-Tigers

FEARS that ex-Tamil fighters may be passing themselves off as refugees will lead to the latest boatload of unauthorised arrivals - believed to be Tamils - being subjected to a particularly rigorous security screening process.

The Australian has been told the recent defeat of the Tamil Tigers in their stronghold in northeastern Sri Lanka has led to concerns Tamil fighters may seek to flee the island amid fears of government retribution.

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.

As the latest arrivals push the Christmas Island detention centre closer to capacity, the federal government yesterday formalised a five-year contract with Serco Australia, the local arm of British company Serco Group, to operate Australia’s seven detention centres.

The five-year, $370 million contract will take effect next month, with the transition from existing operator Global Solutions Limited expected to be complete by November.

In announcing the decision to award the contract to Serco, a spokesman for the Immigration Department said there would be a “stronger focus on the rights and wellbeing of people in detention”.

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, as opposed to Sinhalese, none has so far qualified as a refugee.

There is no specific suggestion that ex-Tamil Tigers were among the 194 intercepted on Sunday.