The group of asylum seekers who say they were returned to Indonesia. Credit:Michael Bachelard Pakistani asylum seeker, Fazal Qadir, 28, said he had set sail from an island off Java on January 5 bound for Christmas Island with 56 people from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq and Palestine on board, along with an Indonesian captain and one crew member. There was one woman with a 20-month-old toddler. After about three or four days at sea, he said the group was spotted by an Australian aeroplane. The boat was already leaking. ''We were very happy [when we saw them] because we thought when the boat went into the water, then they must receive us,'' Mr Qadir said. All of those on board knew of other vessels which had been returned to Indonesia, so were determined to be rescued rather than escorted back. One passenger took a piece of wood and prised open the hole that was already in the hull. Others rocked the boat. When it foundered, two Australian speedboats reached them. The toddler was provided with a life jacket, Mr Qadir said.

About 20 minutes later, two Australian navy vessels, numbered 153 (HMAS Stuart) and 88 (HMAS Maitland) came into view. Mr Qadir said the group was loaded onto the Stuart and headed towards Christmas Island. The men were told, and believed, they would be taken there. But the ship did not dock at the island. ''We were going around Christmas all the time. For two days we were in the navy ship,'' Mr Qadir said. The group was photographed and interviewed by navy personnel. They gave their names and were provided with white, numbered wrist bands. On the second day they were transferred to a Customs and Border Protection boat that they could not identify. For three days they remained on the Customs boat.

During this time the men were desperate to call their families to tell them they were all right but they were not given a phone. Finally, the men say, they were tricked into getting into the lifeboat. Mr Qadir said a small, bright orange boat with a weather canopy, was tied to the back of the Customs ship. They were told to board it because it would ferry them to Christmas Island. At the last minute, though, a Customs officer came on board, tossed the asylum seekers a four-page document in a range of languages, and returned to the large ship, which sailed away. The document, dated December 2013, reads: ''You only have enough fuel to reach land in Indonesia. You do not have enough fuel to continue your voyage to Australia … Your vessel is not equipped for a voyage to Australia. It is not safe to continue your voyage to Australia. ''If you continue on your journey, the master and crew of your boat will face harsh penalties which may include a jail term.'' The men said the captain dropped them very close to Indonesia - it only took three hours to reach shore. They then abandoned the Australian boat and walked into the jungle. They said they had walked for five hours, including crossing a flood-swollen river, to find help. They returned to their former houses in the West Java town of Cisarua late on Wednesday night.

Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa and Politics, Legal and Security minister Djoko Suyanto have been contacted for comment. Mr Natalegawa on Wednesday described the life-boat option as ''a slippery slope''. A spokesman for the Indonesian justice and security minister said the life-boat turn-back policy would "slow down the normalisation of relations" between the two countries. "We have rejected the (turn-back) policy from the start and the reason for rejection is clear," said spokesman Agus Barnas. "It is against the UN Convention on Refugees. Australia signed the convention so it must abide by it."