Eight asylum seekers agree to return to SL

17 November 2012 08:39 am Views - 2534

A further eight Sri Lankan asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat have agreed to return home.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship says the eight men - including five who were in detention on Nauru - left Australia late yesterday.

“The men chose to return home voluntarily,'' a departmental spokesman said. “Regular transfers to Nauru and more Sri Lankans returning home is further proof that there is no advantage engaging with people smugglers.''

The latest group brings the number of Sri Lankans who have returned home to 332 - both voluntarily and involuntarily - since the Gillard government began its tough offshore processing regime in August.(AAP)