It is our view that it is a matter of international law, that this is something that must be resolved between the Government of Indonesia and the Government of Norway

John Howard

The cargo ship carrying 438 refugees and 27 crew is lying off the remote Christmas Island 1,600km (1,000 miles) north-west of Australia in international waters.

Taking a tough stance Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said the matter must be resolved between the governments of Norway and Indonesia.

Australian responsibility

Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokesman Karsten Klepsvik said Australian authorities had asked the Tampa to help the stricken ferry, and should therefore take responsibility for the asylum seekers.

"It is only natural that Australia admit the asylum seekers because the captain of the Tampa received a request for assistance from the Australian coast guard, he diverted the ship to rescue the refugees, and because the nearest port is Australian," he said.

The Indonesian authorities have refused to accept the vessel, saying they do not believe the migrants' ship left from their waters.

The ship's owners said conditions on the ship, built to hold less than 10% of those now on board, are terrible with people suffering dysentery and scabies.

According to the Tampa's captain, Arne Rinnan, the migrants demanded to be taken to Christmas Island after being rescued.

Mr Rinnan told BBC News Online they had threatened to jump overboard if he refused to comply.

Hunger strike

One of the migrants told the BBC they had fled Afghanistan and would go on hunger strike if Australia refused them entry.

Australia blows up an Indonesian boat that recently smuggled asylum seekers

Prime Minister John Howard told a news conference that the boat would not be given permission to land in Australia or any Australian territories.

"It is our view that it is a matter of international law, that this is something that must be resolved between the government of Indonesia and the government of Norway," he said.

He promised to provide humanitarian aid to the asylum seekers, including food and medical supplies, and to financially assist Indonesia to take them back.

Overstretched resources

The BBC's Red Harrison in Sydney, says nearly 1,000 immigrants have arrived in Australia in the past two weeks - most of them via Christmas Island.

But the Tampa boatload is the largest single group yet to try to enter the country.

Residents of the island have complained that their resources are overstretched by the new arrivals.

Asylum seekers are detained in camps

They also say the Australian Government has been paying for flights to transfer the refugees to the mainland.

Once in Australia proper, they are kept in the country's increasingly criticised detention centres while their applications for asylum are processed.

Australia accepts about 10,000 refugees a year under formal United Nations programmes. But the government has taken a hard line against illegal immigrants, whom it calls "queue jumpers".