Mukomuko (ANTARA News) - A boat with 120 Sri Lankan immigrants on board was stranded at sea around four kilometers off Air Rami Sub District, Mukomuko, Bengkulu Province, on Thursday.

The boat ran out of fuel while sailing toward Australia, Jhoni Adi, the secretary of the Air Rami rural administration, said here on Friday.

The 120 Sri Lankans consist of 25 children, 40 women and 50 men. One sick immigrant was evacuated to a community health center in the village, while 119 others remain on the boat.

The Sri Lankan asylum seekers want to go to Australia to avoid conflict with Tamil Tigers in their home country, he added.

The Mukomuko authorities gave them relief aid comprising food and beverages, and tried to persuade them to leave the boat.


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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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