FOREIGN MINISTRY WANTS SRI LANKA REFUGEES TO DISEMBARK AS GROUP

Tanjungpinang, Nov. 17 (ANTARA) - An Indonesian official has asked the Australian government to make the 56 Sri Lanka asylum seekers aboard the MV Oceanic Viking disembark all at the same time.

"It will bother us, if they don't disembark all at the same time," said Sujatmiko, the foreign ministry's diplomatic security director, here on Monday.

The Australian customs ship, MV Oceanic Viking, has been anchored near Cempedak Island in Bintan District, Riau Islands Province, since October 26, with a total of 76 Sri Lankan refugees the vessel had picked up in the sea near Australia on October 18, 2009.

Australian authorities had hoped the asylum seekers could be imediately transferred to an immigration detention center in Tanjungpinang, Bintan. But the Sri Lanka asylum seekers have refused to leave the Australian ship and insisted they should be taken to Australia. They threatened suicide if forced to disembark in Indonesia.

However, on Nov. 13, 22 of the Sri Lanka asylum seekers were willing to disembark and be transfered to the Tanjungpinang detention center.

There was information that some more asylum seekers would leave the Oceanic Viking but their number was still unknown.

Sujatmiko hoped that the Australian authorities would be able to persuade them all to disembark to end the prolonged standoff.

"We will hold a technical meeting with the concerned parties to follow up information from the Australian government's team saying that the Sri Lankan immigrants aboard the Oceanic Viking are willing to stay at the (Tanjungpinang) detention center," he said.

The 22 asylum seekers were given a promise that they would be able to stay in Australia if they got letters confirming that they were refugees. They were told that they would be taken to Australia after staying at the immigration detention center for a month.
"The Australian government has promised to let us stay there (in Australia)," one of the 22 all-male Sri Lanka refugees told ANTARA at the Tanjungpinang immigration detention center.