Shots have been fired as a warning to Sri Lankans aboard a boat stranded off Indonesia after a number of women jumped off the vessel and tried to get to shore.
It is the second failed attempt by people aboard the boat to get to land in Aceh, with the government pushing ahead with its plan to force it back to sea.
The UN refugee agency said it was "deeply concerned" about the condition of the 44 people on board.
The boat has been drifting off Indonesia's coast since Saturday after a 20-day journey from India.
Those on board, who include a pregnant woman and nine children, have told authorities they were trying to reach Australia.
Srilankan migrant get medical checks while their migrant boat is stranded at Lhoknga Beach, Aceh, Indonesia. Source: AAP
"We stand ready to support the government in ensuring that the group's protection and humanitarian needs are addressed following disembarkation," a UNHCR spokeswoman told AAP on Friday.
It is understood authorities fired warning shots into the air on Thursday when six women jumped off the vessel and tried to get to shore.
It came after two men tried to swim to shore on Monday but were picked up by the navy and sent back to the boat.
Indonesian police officers load food for Sri Lankan migrants into their boat at Lhoknga Beach, Aceh, Indonesia. Source: AAP
Amnesty International criticised the Indonesian government on Thursday for not allowing those aboard to reach land and be properly processed.
But the Indonesian government maintains they must leave and confirmed on Friday it would continue with its plan to escort them out of the country's waters back towards India.
Aceh government spokesman Frans Dellian said the Sri Lankan's boat had been fixed.
"The plan ... is to release them back to the sea," he told AAP on Friday.
He has not provided further comment.
