Speculation mounts Sri Lankans to fly home - report

^{The second group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers arrived in Nauru today. They were transferred from a plane onto a mini bus and taken to the Topside processing centre. Picture: News Limited}

It’s believed about 14 Sri Lankan asylum seekers on Christmas Island have opted to return to their country rather than be sent to Nauru.

About 14 Sri Lankan asylum seekers being held on Christmas Island are believed to have asked to be repatriated home rather than be sent to Nauru.

Coalition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said if that was true their decision would be welcome.

“I would welcome that as an outcome,” he said.

Both Immigration Minister Chris Bowen’s office and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship have so far declined to comment on the situation,

But a source on the island said the claims appeared to be correct, although the exact number of refugees involved was unclear.

The government on Tuesday announced it had sent another 36 Sri Lankan men to Nauru as part of its tough new offshore processing regime.

They will be housed in tents alongside the first 30 Sri Lankans sent to the isolated Pacific island late last week. - AAP