RI AWAITING NEGOTIATIONS ON SRI LANKAN IMMIGRANTS ABOARD OCEAN VICKING

Jakarta, Nov 13 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is awaiting the outcome of the Australian government negotiations on the 78 illegal Sri Lankan immigrants who are in the Bintan Island waters, Riau Islands province.

Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said that the negotiations on the illegal immigrants whose staying permits have been extended twice last month were still in progress Friday.

About their readiness to be placed in an immigration detention center in Riau Islands, Faizasyah said that the company of the boat of the immigrants had received hints from the Australian government which is still having negotiations with the passengers on board.

"We received some hints of flexibility from the Sri Lankans on board the Ocean Viking to be placed in the immigration detention center, but this still needs a further confirmation," he said.

According to Faizasyah, the immigrants also had to go through verification by the customs and immigration on board the ship before they can stay in the detention center.

"If they got off the ship voluntarily, then we can facilitate them based on international procedures, then we can place them in the detention center," Faizasyah said.

The Indonesian government is still waiting for the Australian agencies and not setting a deadline for the permit, but if the permit had expired it needs to be extended, Faizasyah said.

The immigrants' staying permits had already been extended twice until this Friday (13/11). Previously, they received a one week permit which expired on October 31, 2009, which was later extended to November 7, 2009.

It has been reported that 78 Sri Lankan immigrants consisting of 68 men, five women and five children, had refused to stay in the Riau Islands Immigration detention center in Tanjungpinang. They still wished to go to Australia.

They had been arrested by Australian Navy patrol boat HMS Armidale on October 18, 2009, and brought to Christmas Island.

The Indonesian government only issued a permission to the Oceanic Viking to cast anchor near Cempedak island, because the ship was too large to birth at Kijang port of Bintan.

Faizasyah has also said that the Indonesian government's attitude in this case is flexible wished to help the immigrants for humanitarian reasons.

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