Come home, Sri Lanka tells asylum seekers

Sri Lanka's prime minister has urged compatriots who are being held in Australian-run immigration detention centres to come home.

Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed the Sri Lankans had broken the law in trying to flee to Australia but insisted they would not face prosecution if they returned.

"Come back. All is forgiven," Mr Wickremesinghe said as he stood beside Malcolm Turnbull in Canberra on Wednesday.

Asked about those who might prefer to remain in the camps than return for fear it is unsafe, he insisted they were mistaken, pointing to a newly established missing persons office in Sri Lanka.

"Some of them have left from places where conflict didn't even take place. All of them are not even Tamils and even we want all the Tamils to come back," Mr Wickremesinghe said.

"We should not make a mess of ourselves like they've gone and done in Europe and the Middle East."