Indonesian police have fired a warning shot amid chaotic scenes on a beach in Aceh, where a boat carrying Sri Lankan asylum seekers has been stranded for a week.

The group, including women and children, have been stuck on the vessel resting in shallow waters of Lhoknga since it broke down on June 11.

Those on board apparently told local authorities they were heading to Christmas Island, more than 2,000 kilometres away, to seek asylum in Australia.

Aceh authorities have refused to allow the asylum seekers to disembark.

They said the boat will be towed out to international waters to continue on its journey after repairs are completed.

Lilianne Fan, international director of Aceh NGO the Geutanyoe Foundation, told the ABC that six women on Thursday jumped off the boat and a shot was fired into the air by police.

“That caused, of course, a lot of panic,” she said.

“Since that incident happened a police line was set up and all agencies including UNHCR, NGOs, and including some media, were all pushed back behind the police line and not allowed to enter it.”

Officials went to talk to the women and they climbed back aboard the boat.

Ms Fan said it was “very inhumane” to keep the group “in this kind of limbo”.

“The most important thing at the moment is ... [to] allow access to UNHCR, so that they could interview and communicate properly with this group and try to identify what their protection needs are, what their asylum claims are,” she said.

Aceh officials have defended their actions, saying the asylum seekers did not have proper documentation.

Their refusal came despite Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla ordering local authorities to allow them to disembark.

Local immigration official Heri Sudiarto said authorities were fixing the engine and hoped to tow the boat out to international waters later if weather conditions improved.

ABC/Wires

-Agencies