Australian troops board refugee vessel

The asylum seekers were plucked from their vessle by a Norwegian cargo ship

CHRISTMAS ISLAND, Australian Territory -- Australian troops have boarded a Norwegian freighter with 434 asylum seekers stranded off remote Christmas Island.

They boarded the ship after it ventured into Australian territorial waters, the island's harbourmaster told Reuters.

"The master deliberately breached the territorial 12 mile limit [19 kilometer] this morning and is holding position four miles off the island and members of the ADF (Australian Defence Force) are currently on board," Don O'Donnell told Reuters.

Local media reported three high-speed boats met the container ship Tampa after it entered Australian waters.

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Australia has refused entry to the ship since it rescued the mostly Afghan asylum seekers on Sunday from their sinking Indonesian fishing boat. Indonesia and Norway have also refused to accept the boatpeople.

When the ship's Captain was told he would be breaching Australian Government orders he reportedly replied he was "coming in anyway".

They have remained on board the vessel near the Australian Island while three governments argue over their fate.

Some of the migrants have begun a hunger strike and the ship's captain is warning of rising tension and worsening health conditions on board.

The cargo company says several pregnant women on board are complaining of stomach pains and a number of migrants are unconscious. It also says there have been outbreaks of diarrhea dysentery and skin diseases.

Australia is refusing international requests to allow the would be migrants ashore. Canberra says Indonesia should take the migrants, but Jakarta is refusing.

Aid was sent by air late Tuesday for the human cargo on the Norwegian-registered Tampa, now lying at anchor in international waters in the Indian Ocean off Christmas Island. There were plans for Australian medical assistance to be provided on Wednesday afternoon.

Australia sees it as an issue for Norway and Indonesia, Indonesia sees it as an issue for Australia and Norway, and Norway sees it as an issue for Australia and Indonesia.

A fourth country has now also taken a stake in deciding the future of the would-be refugees -- Afghanistan.

The hard-line Taliban, rulers of the impoverished Central Asian nation, have asked Australia about the fate of the passengers, most of whom are Afghans.

International law

International aid agencies are also involved. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Millicent Mutuli said: "We appreciate this is a difficult issue of international law.

"We would like to urge Australia, Indonesia and Norway to work this out as soon as possible.

We also appreciate that Australia has offered medical assistance. But we would like to urge Australia to act according to humanitarian principles."

Two Australian air force C130 Hercules planes Tuesday delivered food and medical supplies from the mainland, but the supplies could not immediately be ferried to the Tampa, the red-hulled Norwegian cargo ship in calm waters 47 kilometers (30 miles) north of the island.

A navy frigate carrying a helicopter that will ferry the supplies to the Tampa was steaming from the Australian mainland to the island.

On Tuesday, Indonesia appeared to offer a way out of the crisis, saying it would accept the boat and its human cargo. But it later backed away from the offer. Norway urged Australia to take the people in.

The refugees appeared determined to press their claim to be accepted by Australia, The Associated Press reported.

Cramped conditions

The Tampa's radio officer, Ramesh Irongar, said the refugees, who were squeezed onto a small deck cleared between towers of red and brown cargo containers, threatened to continue their hunger strike until Australia lets them in and to riot if they are turned away.

Australia's Prime Minister John Howard said that under international law the ship was required to return to the nearest port to where the asylum seekers were picked up, the Indonesian port of Merak.

It was not immediately clear how the Afghans made it to Indonesia. But there has been a wave of Afghan asylum seekers who have washed up on Australian shores from Indonesia in recent months, prompting officials to believe that an organized group is bringing them over.

Canberra's tough line in refusing to accept the refugees comes as Howard seeks re-election later this year with many voters increasingly unhappy about the large sums of money spent housing and caring for the thousands of asylum seekers who arrive each year.