Boatpeople believed dead

Up to 12 asylum-seekers are believed to have drowned during a failed attempt to reach Australia from Indonesia, including at least two Sri Lankans from the Merak boat intercepted last year at Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's request.

The Afghans and Sri Lankans who died last week are understood to have been trying to transfer from a small fishing boat to a larger Australia-bound vessel in stormy weather at night when their craft capsized, the Australian newspaper says.