Indonesian Navy forces have moved in to remove asylum seekers from a boat that has been sitting in Merak port for six months, a refugee advocate says.
Pamela Curr says the Indonesian Navy has arrived on a bus with a European individual to forcefully remove the Tamil asylum seekers off the boat Jaya Lestari at Merak.
"It's happening right now," Ms Curr told AAP on Wednesday.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The boat was headed for Australia late last year when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd intervened.
Learning the boat was on the way, Mr Rudd phoned Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and asked him to stop it in Indonesian waters.
Refusal to move
The Indonesian Navy apprehended the boat and took it to the Javan port of Merak on October 11.
But the Sri Lankans - then numbering 254, including 31 children - refused to get off the boat, fearing they'd have to wait years for resettlement if their refugee claims were processed in
Indonesia.
A spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Evans knew nothing of the latest development while a spokesman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Canberra did not know about the event either.
Ms Curr said five asylum seekers had been taken from the boat and given 20 minutes to decide the fate of the other people left on board.
