Sri Lankan asylum seekers who were sent back by Australia wait to enter a magistrate's court in Galle
Sri Lankan asylum seekers who were sent back by Australia cover their faces as they wait to enter a magistrate's court in the southern port district of Galle July 8, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer

Asylum seekers in Australia-run detention centres on Christmas Island begin leaving in the first of three chartered flights arranged by the government to take refugees away from its territory. Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said refugee children will leave the Christmas Island facility by Dec 25.

The evacuation of asylum seekers, who were detained in Christmas Island, marks an end to the previous Australian government's practice of keeping families and unaccompanied children on the country's Indian Ocean outpost. Over 100 men, women and children will leave for Darwin, but reports are unclear if they will stay in a new place, The Australian reported.

The report said 500 single male adults will stay in Christmas Island until after Christmas as they will be gradually flown out of the area. The asylum seeker children on the island have just completed a term at the school across the road from the family detention camp in July. The Catholic Education Office of Western Australia is running the school under contract to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. It was known as the first school established to educate asylum seeker children.

However, the children's education may be stopped since they are scheduled to leave Christmas Island. The immigration minister did not say anything about where the children might live or study. He only thanked the Catholic Education Office of WA for their services.

Meanwhile, the lawyer of the asylum seeker from Iran detained in Darwin's Wickham Point facility has expressed fears after his client has just passed his 45th day of hunger strike. The asylum seeker did not consume any food but drank only water in protest.

John Lawrence, the lawyer representing the 33-year-old Iranian refugee, is getting concerned about the man's well-being as he noted that the asylum seeker had lost 23 kilogrammes. Yahoo News reported that the man would rather be tortured or killed than go back to Iran.

The Department of Immigration has declined to comment on the matter but only said that if anyone has pursued all possibilities to remain in Australia, he or she is expected to leave. The Iranian asylum seeker had lost his appeal when he claimed refugee status earlier in the year.