Paul Maley and Lanai Vasek – Indonesia is considering using force to end the extended stand-off with the boat of more than 240 Tamil asylum-seekers moored at Merak after last week's death.
As refugee advocates staged a protest yesterday outside Australia's embassy in Jakarta over the treatment of the asylum-seekers, intercepted en route to Christmas Island in October, the Indonesian government said more robust measures were being discussed after the December 24 death of the man who was part of a staged protest on board the vessel.
Indonesian Foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said while it remained Jakarta's strong preference to resolve the situation peacefully, the use of force might now have to be considered.
Mr Faizasyah said the death of George Jacob Samuel Christin, 29, on the boat – which he clained was from complications of a stomach ulcer – had prompted a meeting on the weekend between Indonesian officials and representatives from the vessel.
"We asked them to provide access so we can conduct our (verification) process," Mr Faizasyah said. "Following that we will allow the UNHCR to conduct refugee-status process. But they still persisted that they would not allow us to conduct verification. So it's still in a rather bleak situation."
When asked if authorities were considering force to resolve the situation, Mr Faizasyah replied: "That could be one of the issues discussed."
The possibility of increased tensions emerged yesterday as refugee advocates claimed that 11 Tamils who had voluntarily disembarked the boat were being detained in "inhumane" conditions in an Indonesian prison.
Australian Tamil Congress spokeswoman Sara Nathan said eight men who volunteered to disembark in October had done so on the basis that they would be processed by the UNHCR and would be held in an International Organisation for Migration hostel, not in detention.
Ms Nathan, who this week visited the men, said they were put up at an International Organisation for Migration hostel but after two weeks were moved into a cell by Indonesian authorities, where they have remained since November 10. She said 12 people occupied the crowded cell at the Jakarta immigration headquarters.
One of the original eight from the Merak boat had gone back to Sri Lanka, however the remaining seven were joined by four other men from the Merak boat and another man from another boat.
A spokesman for UNHCR denied they were involved in any deal with the Indonesian government and yesterday said the agency would not be providing assistance to those on board the boat in Merak unless Indonesian authorities called on them to do so.
"We can't access those people unless we are asked to by the Indonesian government and we will take no further steps unless we receive formal notification," the spokesman said.