| 20 Asylum Seekers agree to leave Oceanic Viking and go to Indonesian detention centre |
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Indonesian immigration officials say 20 of the 78 Tamils on board the Australian customs ship, Oceanic Viking, are now ready to enter the Australian-funded detention centre in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia.The Tamil asylum seekers have been on the ship for nearly four weeks.Indonesia's Director General of Immigration says it's not clear when the asylum seekers will disembark because the details are still being worked out.
Resettlement offer Australia has offered to resettle the Sri Lankans within 12 weeks provided they disembark in Indonesia and are found to be genuine refugees. Australia's Immigration Minister Chris Evans denies the Government has sent the wrong message by making a resettlement offer to the asylum seekers aboard the Oceanic Viking customs ship. The Opposition says the government is rewarding the asylum seekers with a special deal. But Senator Evans says the Government has remained firm in insisting the Sri Lankans disembark in Indonesia. "We did the right thing and went out and rescued these people, and the agreement was they'd disembark in Indonesia. That's the agreement with the Indonesian Government, that's what we want to see happen," he said. "We'll treat them properly when they disembark, but they ought to disembark in Indonesia, as agreed." |
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