Indonesia, Australia and Sri Lanka must make a joint effort in determining the fate of 78 Sri Lankan refugees who were last month intercepted by an Australian ship in Indonesian waters, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa revealed on Friday.

Speaking to journalists at his office, the foreign minister said Indonesia was trying to solve this issue through cooperation and stipulated Indonesia would not be able to resolve the problem alone.

“It is only *their* provisional and temporary settlement here… We don’t expect to carry the responsibility alone,” Marty outlined the government’s position on the fate of the refugees.

The foreign minister surprised journalists, who were attending a weekly media briefing by the ministry’s spokesman, Teuku Faizasyah.

The minister entered the press room while Faizasyah was speaking to the media. Marty was one of Faizasyah’s predecessors, and was highly perceived to be one of the ministry’s best spokesmen.

Marty said the Foreign Ministry was verifying the identity of the refugees, which would be followed up by the UNHCR to determine whether they could be granted the required refugee status for settlement in a third country.

The Australian ship, The Oceanic Viking, intercepted the Sri Lankans last month and brought them to Tanjung Pinang on Indonesia’s Bintan Island. The refugees only agreed to disembark just days ago, after the Australian government promised to help resettle them in Australia.

Many illegal migrants bound for Australia have been intercepted at sea and are waiting to be processed in Indonesia for a chance at being settled in a third country. With their number growing, Jakarta said it risked turning the country into a “processing center”, or what people have begun calling a “dumping ground”.

“We have a commitment from *Australia and Sri Lanka* that the *verification process* would not take a long time,” said Marty.

In the meeting, Marty also reiterated Indonesia’s full support for any potential Palestinian declaration of independence.

“Indonesia’s stance on all the matters relating to the Palestinian issue is absolutely crystal clear. We have always been on the side of Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve independence,” he said.

“If the Palestinian leadership were to decide to unilaterally declare independence, it’s something we will respect and support,” the minister added.

Source: The Jakarta Post