Brisbane (CNN)-- Tharnicaa was eight months old when Australian Border Force officers burst into her home in rural Australia, and tore her Sri Lankan refugee parents and their children from their new life.

The shocking dawn raid infuriated locals who began a nationwide campaign against their removal to Sri Lanka, where as minority Tamils they fear persecution.

After a traumatic three years, during which the family was held offshore on Christmas Island, and Tharnicaa had to receive medical treatment for illnesses she developed in detention there, the Australian government has finally succumbed to pressure to let them stay -- for now. This week, it announced they can remain in community detention in Perth while they finalize their legal challenges.

Thousands of Tamil asylum seekers in Australia are closely watching their case.