Four Tamil asylum seekers said to have been offered a special deal by the federal government after being rescued by the Oceanic Viking will be refused visas after the ASIO deemed them national security threats, a report says.
They are among 78 Sri Lankans which the government lobbied to resettle after being involved in a stand-off aboard the Australian customs vessel in late 2009.
But the quartet have been given adverse security assessments by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, The Australian reports.
One of the four is said to be a woman who travelled to Australia with her two young children.
The situation presents a problem for the government - it cannot return the four to Sri Lanka without the possibility of exposing them to harm, the newspaper reports.
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Returning them would also breach Australia's legal obligations after the UN High Commissioner designated all 78 as refugees.
Other countries will also be reluctant to take them, the newspaper reports.
