Australia and Indonesia force refugee stalemate
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will deny entry to the Norwegian freighter Tampa, which is stranded in the Indian Ocean carrying 438 asylum seekers after Australia turned down the ship's request to enter its waters, an official said here on Tuesday.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said the government's stance was clear -- that the country would refuse entry to the boat for fear that the asylum seekers would cause trouble here.
"The fact is that the illegal immigrants want to dock in Australia," he was quoted as saying by Antara, adding that Indonesia was not obliged to direct the Norwegian vessel to dock at any port in Indonesia.
Indonesia, as a matter of fact and law, is not responsible, Wirayuda said after returning from a Southeast Asian trip with President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Wirayuda's comments contradicted earlier statements issued by his ministry regarding the issue.
A spokesman for Indonesia's foreign ministry said Jakarta might allow entry to the ship if Australia persisted in rejecting the immigrants.
However, Navy spokesman First Admiral Franky Kaihatu reiterated that the Navy would not allow the ship to enter Indonesian waters.
"Our mission is to uphold maritime laws. We reject anything illegal, including illegal immigrants," Kaihatu told AFP.
Australia continued to deny permission for the refugees to enter the country, despite pleas from the United Nations' refugee agency.
Rescued on Monday from a sinking Indonesian ferry, many of the 438 refugees, mostly from Afghanistan, commenced a hunger strike and threatened to jump overboard if Australia sent them back to Indonesia.
With diplomatic wrangling over who should take responsibility for the people already in its second day, the United Nations appealed for compassion.
"We appreciate this is a difficult issue of international law. We would like to urge Australia, Indonesia and Norway to work this out as soon as possible," United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Millicent Mutuli was quoted by AP as saying.
"We also appreciate that Australia has offered medical assistance. But we would like to urge Australia to act according to humanitarian principles," she added.
Canberra's tough line in refusing to accept the refugees comes as Prime Minister John Howard seeks re-election later this year, with many voters increasingly unhappy about the large sums of money spent housing and caring for the thousands of asylum seekers who arrive each year.
Some of the asylum seekers, who include 22 women and 43 children, are sick, distressed or pregnant amid worsening conditions aboard the seriously overcrowded ship, the Tampa's captain Arne Rinnan said.
Three Australian Hercules transport planes arrived on Christmas Island on Tuesday carrying soldiers and supplies to be taken to the ship.
But Australian authorities were still trying to find a helicopter suitable for delivering the supplies to the ship, reports stated. (tso)