29 Oct 2009

Australia must solve asylum standoff - Indonesia

10:23 pm on 29 October 2009

Indonesia says Australia must end a 12-day stand-off in which 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers are refusing to leave an Australian Customs ship moored off the Indonesian island of Bintan.

Indonesia's government says it will not let the group be removed from the Oceanic Viking by force.

Local Indonesian officials are also refusing to take the ethnic Tamils, despite an earlier agreement.

They were to be taken to an Australian-funded detention centre at Tanjung Pinang near Singapore, but the refugees say they will not get off the ship.