56 Sri Lankan Asylum Seekers Leave Australian Ship, Dozens of Sri Lankan asylum seekers left an Australian customs ship in Indonesia on Wednesday, ending a three-week protest over their claims for refugee status. Police said all 56 migrants on board the Oceanic Viking had left the ship, after weeks of negotiations with Australian officials.
The stand-off has fuelled an intense refugee debate in Australia and piled pressure on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to stem the flow of boat people through Indonesia, amid a sharp increase in arrivals this year.
Indonesia has been a key staging point for migrants taken by people smugglers on the perilous sea journey to Australia. This year 1890 asylum seekers reached Australia.