Asylum seeker boat in strife off Indonesia AN asylum seeker boat bound for Australia is believed to be in distress off the coast of Indonesia. A spokesman for the Indonesian search and rescue agency, BASARNAS, has confirmed that a distress call was received from a vessel in the Sunda Strait earlier on Thursday. It was unclear how many people were aboard the vessel which was believed to be headed for Christmas Island. The spokesman said the Australian naval vessel, HMAS Ballarat, had responded to the distress call.