Sri Lankan asylum-seekers threatening to blow up their boat if the Indonesian navy forced them to disembark before they get to Australia

MORE than 260 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers were last night threatening to blow up their boat if the Indonesian navy forced them to disembark at the port in Merak after the large cargo boat they were piloting towards Christmas Island broke down.

"We have gas canisters and we have told the navy we will blow up the boat and jump into the ocean if they try to force us off the boat," said a spokesman for the asylum-seekers, who would only give his name as Alex.

The Sri Lankans had each paid $US15,000 ($16,533) to board the wooden craft in Malaysia 13 days ago, after travelling there by air from Jaffna, Alex told The Australian.

"If the authorities in Sri Lanka know this is me on this boat, they will hunt down my wife and children in Jaffna and kill them," the frightened man said.

"I have been waiting for my wife and children to follow me here. As soon as possible, we need to get to Australia."

The Sri Lankan asylum-seekers and six Indonesian crew members were under military guard aboard the cargo ship in western Java after being intercepted trying to sail to Christmas Island.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono intervened directly in the case of the asylum-seekers, who were detained trying to sail to Christmas Island at the weekend.

Dr Yudhoyono has ordered his navy chief of staff to treat with care the group of hungry and tired refugees, who last night were expected to be towed to shore after their cargo boat's engine died. They were then to be dealt with by immigration officials after having refused for the past three days to leave their stricken boat.

Kevin Rudd confirmed yesterday he had made a personal plea to Dr Yudhoyono for the Indonesians to intercept the boat.

Alex denied last night that those on board the boat were associated with Tamil Tigers.

"We are civilians, not Tamil Tigers. Every day there are Tamils being killed and raped in the refugee camps. Men are blindfolded and shot in the back of the head.

"In Sri Lanka if you are Tamil there is no opportunity - the government can detain you without cause, and take you to trial without evidence."]

Alex said the group's choice of Australia as a destination was not based on intimate knowledge of Federal Government immigration policy, but simply "because we had to flee somewhere".

"Another boat full of Tamils left Malaysia for Canada, and for that people were paying $US45,000 per person," he said. "That was far too expensive."

He said the group had been at sea for 13 days before being captured by an Indonesian navy vessel early on Saturday morning. "We spent a month in the jungle in Malaysia before that," he said.

International Organisation for Migration staff were working with Immigration Department officials last night to resolve the standoff, with the Sri Lankans adamant they wanted to continue their journey to Australia.

Alex refused to give details of the agent who had taken money from members for the group in Malaysia, repeatedly saying he feared for his life.

Heraldsun