Drowned Tamils 'desperate for safety'

14 Jun 2010, 4:13 pm   -   Source: AAP
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The pair were among 254 Tamils on a boat that was stopped in Indonesian waters, sparking a six-month stand-off at the Javan port of Merak. (File Getty)

The pair were among 254 Tamils on a boat that was stopped in Indonesian waters, sparking a six-month stand-off at the Javan port of Merak. (File Getty)

Two Tamil asylum seekers who reportedly drowned trying to reach Australia were 'desperate to find safety', a friend says.

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Two Sri Lankan asylum seekers believed drowned last week on a perilous sea trip from Indonesia to Australia were "desperate to find safety", says a friend.

Thileepkumar Luxman and Bahirathan were among 12 Tamil and Afghani asylum seekers believed to have drowned when their small fishing boat capsized in rough Indonesian waters as they tried to rendezvous with a larger Australia-bound boat.

The pair had made the attempt a second time because their original bid was thwarted by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in October last year.

They were among the 254 Tamils on a boat bound for Australia when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had his Indonesian counterpart stopped them in Indonesian waters, sparking a six-month stand-off at the Javan port of Merak.

A fellow Tamil asylum seeker and close friend of the pair on Monday said they had tried the doomed journey, feeling they had to take the risk.

"Malaysia and Indonesia had instilled in them fears of deportation that led to taking such huge risks," the friend, who did not want to be named, told AAP.

"That is mostly the case with all asylum seekers who remain in middle countries seeking resettlement."

Bahirathan - a "hard-working steelbender" nicknamed Paandi - had been recognised as a genuine refugee by the UNHCR, the friend said. Thileepkumar was still awaiting the UNHCR's assessment.

News of their deaths came via two other Sri Lankans - also involved in the Merak stand-off - who survived the capsizing and later made contact with other refugees.

Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor on Monday said Australian authorities had no information about the incident and would check with Indonesian authorities.

But Indonesian immigration and foreign ministry officials told AAP they, too, had no information on the incident.

Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the tragedy showed that desperate people would continue to jump on people smuggling boats, regardless of the dangers.

"When people who have already been assessed as refugees are left languishing for years in Indonesian detention, they are going to look for a way to find a country to resettle them, regardless of how dangerous that choice may be," she said.

Australian Tamil activist Sara Nathan said the federal government must take responsibility for the deaths.

"These people were 45 nautical miles (83km) from Australia when Kevin Rudd's phone call put them in a situation where they have to get on leaky boats to come here."

 

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