Refugees Daily - Internal Global Press Review

The Aceh provincial administration has placed 43 Sri Lankan boat people, stranded on Lhoknga Beach, at a temporary shelter in Lhokseumawe, pending a verification process of their identities.

The authorities will cooperate with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Sri Lankan Embassy to verify the identity of the migrants.

The migrants were transferred by bus on Wednesday to Lhokseumawe, about 300 kilometers from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, after receiving aid from Aceh Governor Zaini Abdullah.

In Lhokseumawe, they will stay at a former immigration office while waiting for the verification process to be completed.

Zaini said the transfer was part of the government's efforts to provide proper shelter to the migrants.

"We are removing them to better shelter," said Zaini after the migrants departed from Banda Aceh.

The Sri Lankans washed ashore at Lhoknga Beach on June 10 due to extreme weather in the Indian Ocean. They were thought to be heading to Australia.

Previously, the local administration had refused them permission to disembark, insisting that they leave Aceh and continue on their journey.

The local administration said the Sri Lankan asylum seekers should not be compared to the Rohingya refugees who sought refuge in Aceh after fleeing communal and racial conflict in Myanmar last year.

The Aceh provincial administration welcomed almost 1,000 Rohingya refugees, placing them in several refugee centers.

The refusal was met with strong protest by the Sri Lankans. Several Sri Lankan women jumped off the ship in defiance of orders from security officials, forcing the latter to fire a warning shot.

The central government later decided to host the migrants after the permanent failure of their boat's engine and extreme weather continued to roil the ocean.

The migrants were allowed to leave their boat on Tuesday and were placed at a temporary shelter before being transferred to Lhokseumawe.

Zaini rebuffed claims that the administration had been slow in handling the migrants.

"We're not slow. We tried to repair the boat, but it was heavily damaged. We didn't want to risk their lives by letting them sail," said Zaini.

Aceh Immigration Agency head Achmad Samadan said the authorities had contacted the Sri Lankan Embassy in Jakarta and its representatives would visit the migrants to check on their condition.

"[International Organization for Migration] will come to help if we need them. They have people who understand the Tamil language," he said.

As of today, the migrants are considered foreigners who have breached the country's immigration laws by entering without any proper documents. "We may deport them," he said.

The UNHCR verification process will determine the fate of the boat people.

The Indian Embassy will also be involved as the asylum seekers used an Indian flag on their boat.