"They were in okay condition, they were given enough food and plenty of water, but they ran out of fuel. They could've died if they sunk or if no one found them," he said. The male asylum seekers, who are from India, Nepal and Bangladesh, at Nusa Tenggara Timur police station. "One of the villagers saw them, contacted police, we arrived, we helped them." The 16 asylum seekers and the Indonesian captain were detained and taken to the Nusa Tenggara Timur police, who are investigating. Nusa Tenggara Timur police spokesman Jules Abraham Abast said the asylum seekers were mostly from India.

"Seventeen people were detained yesterday in Tablolong including one Indonesian crew, he was the boat captain," he said. An Australian Navy vessel approaches a suspected refugee boat off the coast of Christmas Island last week. Asylum seeker Muhammad Anwar, 22, from Bangladesh, said he had paid $US5000 ($6890) to a people smuggling agent, whose name he never found out, to take him to Australia. "In my country there are many problems, everything is expensive, wages low, many killings. All I want in Australia is to make a living, and they didn't help," Mr Anwar said. He said the 16 people and Indonesian captain left for Indonesia 10 days ago.

"We reached Christmas Island, but Australia didn't accept us." He said Australian officials had detained the asylum seekers for five days before returning them to Indonesia. "We came back not with our original boat, it was leaking water and we couldn't get the water out. Australia then loaded us to a big boat then returned us back. It took us four days from Jakarta to reach Christmas island, then five days they kept us." In a letter dated November 26, seen by Fairfax Media, Rear Admiral Michael Noonan, the Command of Maritime Border Command wrote to the chief executive of Indonesia Coast Guard, Vice Admiral Desi Albert Mamahit. "Today, 26 November, 2015, Maritime Border Command assets supported the safe return to Roti of people on board a vessel," Rear Admiral Noonan wrote.

"As always it is a privilege for Maritime Border Command to work with BAKAMLA, and Maritime Border Command remains committed assisting you and your security forces". The captain, Lif Leopena, a 32-year-old man from Nusa Tenggara Timur, said he was paid by a man named Rajab in Jakarta, to bring people to Australia. Mr Leopena said this was his second voyage to Australia, for which he was paid 20 million rupiah (about $2000) per trip. The boat sailed to Australia from Pelabuhan Ratu in West Java. Mr Leopena said Australia caught him this time and sent him back to Indonesia, saying Australia no longer accepted immigrants. The Indonesian government has reiterated that Australia's boat push-back policy puts lives at risk after the vessel was found on Thursday.

"Indonesia's stance remains that boat push-backs are endangering," Arrmanatha Nasir, a spokesman from the office of Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, told Fairfax Media. He said the Indonesian government would seek an explanation from an Australian official on the sidelines of an asylum seeker summit attended by 13 countries, the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration, in Jakarta on Friday. Australia's ambassador on people smuggling issues, Andrew Goledzinowski has been invited to the Jakarta talks. "If there is a representative from Australia we will seek explanation informally. I don't think we will raise that in the meeting because it is not on the agenda," Mr Nasir said. "The irregular migrant issue must be addressed comprehensively, it cannot be solved by only one party such as the destination country or source country. It should be handled comprehensively. And it should prioritise the human aspect."

Mr Nasir said the Bali process was the mechanism in the region to discuss asylum seekers. "So if we want to have a sustainable solution we have to go beyond our own self interest," he said. Last week Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull both refused to comment on the boat, citing "operational matters". Green senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the Turnbull government has "serious questions" to answer if the boat was allowed to run out of fuel before washing up in Indonesia. "Going to these extreme, dangerous lengths just to deny people their right to seek asylum in Australia is appalling," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"Australia should be processing people's claims for asylum in Indonesia and Malaysia, not waiting for them to get on boats and then towing them back to danger." with Nicole Hasham Follow FairfaxForeign on Twitter Follow FairfaxForeign on Facebook