THE Indonesian Government has reversed its policy to swiftly deport Sri Lankan asylum seekers refusing to get off a boat in Merak and will now allow the UN to process them, a decision that may prove decisive in ending a five-week stand-off at the port.
A meeting of Indonesian ministries and agencies on Tuesday resolved to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to process all 255 people who came on the boat, said Teuku Faizasyah, the Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman.
The original Indonesian plan was for those who did not already have refugee status to be repatriated; 109 of the Tamils carry refugee cards.
Indonesia wants Australia to take many of those who are found to be refugees.
The spokesman for the Sri Lankans at Merak, ''Alex'', said a guarantee of access to the UNHCR had been a longstanding condition for the passengers to leave the vessel.
But having heard of the deal offered to the 78 people on the Oceanic Viking, they now wanted a similar arrangement.
''We would request the same fair treatment as the 78 people on the Oceanic Viking. If we get the same deal, we will co-operate sooner than them,'' he said.
It is highly unlikely the Sri Lankans in Merak will be offered the same deal as those on the Oceanic Viking, who will be resettled in four to 12 weeks if their refugee claims are proven to be genuine.
Unlike those on the Oceanic Viking, the asylum seekers in Merak are not on an Australian vessel and were not intercepted by the Australian navy.
Last night all 56 of the Sri Lankans who had stayed on the Oceanic Viking left the vessel. Many smiled and waved as they disembarked to enter immigration detention in Indonesia.
The operation to bring them ashore began yesterday morning with Australian officials, and then Indonesian immigration officers, boarding the ship to conduct health and documentation checks and to confirm they were leaving the ship willingly.
Last night the Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O'Connor, confirmed all 56 had left the ship, saying among them were 46 men, five women and five children.
He said the men would be taken to the Tanjung Pinang detention centre and the women and children would stay in a separate building while their claims were processed.
One man confirmed they were pleased with the deal offered to this group of asylum seekers by the Australian Government: "They tell us three months in detention, no more. Good."
Asked where he wanted to go now he was leaving the Oceanic Viking, he said "to Australia".
The Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull, told the Prime Minister to stop treating the Australian people like mugs and admit he had offered a special deal to entice asylum seekers off the Oceanic Viking. By implication, Kevin Rudd was offering all asylum seekers in Indonesia resettlement within four to 12 weeks, Mr Turnbull said, along with housing assistance, medical care, income support and help finding a job.
''Has the Prime Minister sought advice on how many extra boat arrivals will result from this very public weakening of Australia's border protection policies?''
Mr Rudd said the people on board had asked to be processed in Australia and their wishes had been denied from day one.
Indonesia's director of diplomatic security, Dr Sujatmiko, said yesterday Indonesia would not tolerate a similar circumstance to the Oceanic Viking again.
"This is the first and the last. We did not enjoy this sort of incident. These are very complicated issues, and we have to make sure in the future we settle these issues very carefully between Indonesia and Australia.''
The Oceanic Viking was expected to begin sailing back to Australia last night.
Dr Sujatmiko, who’d led the Indonesian negotiations with the Sri Lankan asylum seekers, said they were glad to be off the Oceanic Viking “and hoping that Australia will keep its promise. This is our expectation, this is their expectation”.
with Jonathan Pearlman and Yuko Narushima
