Indonesia allows Lankan asylum seekers to come ashore

Indonesia has agreed to allow nearly 260 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers in a wooden ship in Western Java to come ashore, and to provide them facilities temporarily.

A spokesman for the president told the media the measure was taken for humanitarian reasons, as there was a sick child on board, AFP reported.

The country will formally ask the UN high commissioner for refugees to process the claims of the asylum seekers.

Indonesian authorities were detaining the Sri Lankan Tamils, on their way to Australia, since October 11.

Found among them was a notorious people smuggler Abraham Lauhenapessy, known as ‘Captain Bram’ who is now being detained in Indonesia.

Earlier, Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd to discuss the issue of illegal immigrants.

The outcome of their meeting is that officials of the two countries will meet and come up with a framework that will be put before the APEC meeting in Singapore next month.