Australia has announced that it will no longer accept refugee claims from Sri Lankans and Afghans, saying the situations in those countries has improved enough that their people may no longer need to seek protection elsewhere.
The suspension of refugee claims comes as the government struggles to cope with an influx of illegal boatloads of asylum seekers who have filled an offshore detention centre and fuelled a political debate over immigration policies.
Most of the boat people who reach Australian waters are from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
"The Australian government believes that asylum seekers should only be granted the right to live in Australia if they are genuinely in need of protection," said a joint statement issued by the ministers for immigration, foreign affairs and home affairs.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the decision was sparked by the end of the two-decade civil war in Sri Lanka and the improved situation of minorities in Afghanistan.
He said other countries have already stopped processing asylum claims from Sri Lanka, but Australia may be the first to suspend Afghan applications.
"People aren't being denied their right to seek asylum, but it's been suspended," Immigration Minister Chris Evans told reporters in Canberra.
Asylum seekers are a hot political issue in Australia, particularly since the current government relaxed immigration policies, reducing the time would-be refugees spend in detention before their applications are processed and dropping a requirement that they must renew their visas every five years.
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