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Asylum seekers undeterred by PNG solution

FIRST ON 7: News of Kevin Rudd's plan to send asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea has reached those already on their way from Indonesia.

7News travelled to a refugee settlement in the Indonesian town of Puncak, where many say they will board the boats anyway.

They are the people smugglers’ targets - waiting in a town near Jakarta for the chance to reach Australia.

Engineer Mahram Ali fled Afghanistan for Indonesia three years ago.

With no boats for his family, he is waiting his turn and applauds the PNG solution.

"This is positive message no one will pay the people smuggler,” he said.

But his neighbour, an atheist fleeing persecution in Iran says if denied refugee status he has no choice but to go by boat because he cannot stay there.

His daughter Asal says boats are too dangerous - they know a man whose baby boy died getting to Christmas Island. He says he cries at the choice, but isn't deterred.

Thousands of people are in limbo Puncak.

They can't work, go to school or go home because they are part of a massive United Nations backlog.

The Australian Government’s PNG solution has made asylum seekers in Puncak stop and think about catching a boat, but they are also wondering if this will be a long-term policy given Australia has changed its mind before.

Liaqat Ali Karimi is now glad he was once stopped getting on a boat, but said other asylum seekers know all about the politics and the election.

"That's why people are not sure maybe they will exactly follow this policy, this is a joke people are now saying this (is) a joke,” he said.

They are waiting and watching carefully.