Sri Lankan asylum-seekers await resolution to standoff

Sri Lankan refugees bound for Australia are presently being held in Indonesia, waiting for countries in the region to decide what to do with them. Both Australia and the Philippines have proposed alternative solutions.

The Tamil asylum-seekers on board a wooden boat bound for Australia were intercepted by Indonesian authorities last month. Now, they are anxiously waiting for a resolution of their case. The wooden boat carried about 250 Tamil refugees who are now being held by the Indonesian government on a reported tip-off from the Australian Prime Minister. Countries in the region are now weighing-in on what should be done with the refugees. Two options have been floated by negotiating parties that include the "Philippine solution," which calls for the refugees to disembark in a Philippine territory, and the "Australian solution," which calls for their disembarkation at Christmas Island, an Australian territory, for processing. As Philstar.com reports:

The Australian government denied reports it had approached the Philippines about taking asylum seekers aboard an Australian customs vessel in Indonesia. "There's been no approach by the Australian government to the Philippine government on this matter," Immigration Minister Chris Evans said.

According to the leaders of the asylum seekers, they were in great danger in Sri Lanka in the wake of the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels who run Northern parts of the country. Australia has become a favorite destination of asylum-seekers. As Philstar.com reported in September:

The influx of illegal boats — 28 this year, carrying more than 1,400 people — has fed a political debate about the government's immigration policies. The opposition says a relaxation of tough regulations last year has caused people smugglers to target Australia, something the government denies.