'Esky' fishermen's future unknown

The future of two fishermen found floating in an oversized esky in Torres Strait a week ago remains unknown.

The pair, staying in a Torres Strait motel, are being interviewed by Australian
authorities to determine their identities and situation.
The men, aged 22 and 24, were rescued from an industrial sized ice box on Saturday
claiming to have been lost at sea for 25 days.
The pair say they are Burmese. They told rescuers they climbed into the esky after a
10m wooden fishing boat sank on December 23 and 18 other crew members drowned.
Media reports have suggested the pair survived on rainwater and small fish
regurgitated from sea birds.
But medical experts have since cast doubt on their story considering their good
health, their food supplies and the esky's ability to stay afloat in rough
conditions.
They were released from Thursday Island hospital on Tuesday after treatment for
dehydration and skin complaints.
The Courier Mail reported on Saturday the men could be part of a "botched
people-smuggling syndicate".
The newspaper reported the men feared for their lives if they were sent home.
An immigration department spokesman said it was not known when a decision on their
futures would be made.
The spokesman refused to comment about whether the men would be deported or granted
protection visas.