Rowan Callick, Deborah Cassrels – Crossbench politicians are demanding that the Abbott government back the calls of three West Papuan activists who in the early hours of yesterday morning scaled the wall of the Australian consulate in Bali – and left soon afterwards in controversial circumstances.

They had quit the consulate by 8am, defusing a potentially awkward distraction for Tony Abbott who is attending the APEC summit in Bali today.

But independent senator Nick Xenophon said the students were forced to leave after being warned by a consular official that the Indonesian police would otherwise be called to arrest and remove them.

The student activists, Rofinus Yanggam, Markus Jerewon, and Yuvensius Goo, called for at least 55 political prisoners in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua to be freed and that international journalists should be allowed to report there without restrictions.

Mr Yanggam said before scaling the wall: "I want to see West Papuans treated like Balinese. I don t want to see West Papua always kept closed from international visitors.

The three are members of the Alliance of Papuan Students in Java and Bali, whose co-ordinator Rinto Kogoya said that Mr Abbott and other leaders at APEC should join the call for the release of political prisoners in Indonesia.

Senator Xenophon said: "I am really worried about the safety of these guys. The Australian government saying they left voluntarily is just laughable. It is just outrageous and now we can t find them.

Greens senator Richard Di Natale urged the government "to immediately offer sanctuary to these brave West Papuans.

DLP senator John Madigan said: "I fully support their calls. It s about time our government had the courage to stand up to Indonesia.

Mr Abbott, after meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta last week, said he had pledged "Australia s total respect for Indonesia s sovereignty, total respect for Indonesia s territorial integrity.

[Additional reporting: Sarah Martin.]