Suleiman Expresses Relief over Near Return of Australia-Bound Boat Tragedy Survivors

President Michel Suleiman expressed relief on Saturday over the expected return of the Lebanese who survived the Australia-bound boat tragedy.

He voiced hope that the Indonesian authorities would continue its measures to swiftly return the bodies of the victims to their relatives, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Lebanese Charge d'Affaires in Indonesia Joanna Qazzi announced on Thursday that around 42 bodies were retrieved from the sea.

Meanwhile, LBCI reported that the buses carrying the 18 Lebanese survivors of the Indonesian boat left Sukabumi city heading towards Jakarta airport.

The survivors are expected to arrive in Beirut on Sunday.

The same source said that the six Lebanese that were detained in Indonesian prison for not possessing the necessary legal documents were freed.

"All necessary procedures to insure their legal return to Lebanon were completed."

Speaking to Lebanese channels at the airport in Indonesia, several survivors criticized the Lebanese delegation for not contacting them since their arrival to the Asian country.

"No one reached out to us or congratulated us on surviving the tragedy," a survivor said.

Later on Saturday, the NNA said that caretaker State Minister Ahmed Karami informed President Suleiman that the first group of the boat tragedy survivors has left Indonesia heading to Lebanon.

"The Lebanese delegation will continue to work with concerned Indonesian authorities to complete all pending procedures and assure the retrieval of the remaining bodies," the NNA added.

Concerning identifying the retrieved bodies, DNA expert Dr. Fouad Ayoub, who's in Indonesia with the delegation said Indonesian authorities should start their tests on Monday.

"The results of the DNA tests should be ready within 3 weeks," he added.

MTV remarked that not all bodies were retrieved, but that some remain in the sea.

The boat, which was estimated to be carrying between 80 and 120 Middle Eastern illegal immigrants, went down on Friday in rough seas off Indonesia's main island of Java. It was headed for Australia's Christmas Island.

The Lebanese foreign ministry said Sunday there were 68 Lebanese, including children, on board the ill-fated vessel and that 18 survived the ordeal while at least 28 were still missing.

However, six other Lebanese remain detained by the Indonesian authorities after failing to obtain residence permits.