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aving been stranded for 10 days on Lhoknga Beach in Aceh, 44 Sri Lankan asylum seekers were finally permitted to leave their boat and move into temporary shelters on Tuesday.

The government decided to host the migrants after ascertaining that the boat’s engine was irreparable and parts of the vessel were submerged from multiple leaks. It has also given access to United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) officials to reach and help the migrants in the morning.

Aceh Immigration Office head Achmad Samadan said UNHCR and IOM officials would help to check the condition of the migrants, including their health.

“They are here to record and to find out what is being done [for the migrants],” he told reporters.

Achmad said the asylum seekers were currently staying in temporary shelters pending the government’s decision on where to place them.

“There are two options for them: They could stay in Aceh or be taken to Medan [in North Sumatra],” he said.

A day earlier, the Sri Lankan boat had been pushed out to sea, but had been carried back to shore by the tide.

Aceh Governor Zaini Abdullah said the province had done its part by providing the group with humanitarian assistance that would allow the asylum seekers to continue their journey.

Provincial security forces were forced to bring the Sri Lankans ashore because the boat had almost sunk amid blustery weather and choppy seas.

House of Representatives member Nasir Jamil on Sunday visited and spoke to the refugees, who said they were hoping for help from the UNHCR.

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

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

“If we look at the Sri Lankan people, they are asylum seekers who have left their country simply because of economic reasons. The Rohingya have left their country because of conflict. That is why our treatment of them is different,” Zaini added.

On Thursday, the Sri Lankan asylum seekers, who have been stranded in Aceh Besar since June 11,
protested the decision of Aceh security officials not to allow them to disembark.

Several women jumped from the boat in defiance of orders from the Aceh authorities, forcing security officers to fire a warning shot.

The women who pleaded with officers, saying that a child was ill and needed to come ashore for medical treatment.