The protesters comprised male individuals or single refugees, mostly from Afghanistan and Syria.
"We have been here for seven years, but we remain deprived from our basic human rights," Abdul, one for the refugees, informed Antara.
As a single refugee, Abdul pointed to having no rights to secure a job and own a vehicle. The process of obtaining refugees' rights has been complicated and lengthy.
"We have been demanding our rights for years, but the UNHCR does not respond to it fast, and it takes too long to process our rights as single refugees," he stated.
The UN body only processed the demands of refugees coming with their families but not for single refugees, he pointed out.
They plan to hold another demonstration, with a bigger crowd, on Tuesday, July 30, 2019.
Earlier on July 11, 2019, dozens of refugees from Afghanistan and other countries thronged a street in front of Ravindo Building at Jalan Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.
They had fled armed conflict in their home regions, such as Afghanistan and Sudan, and were stranded in Indonesia while awaiting the UNHCR’s assessment.
Some officers of the UNHCR, accompanied by an interpreter, turned up and requested them to select a representative for communication and correspondence while calling on the rest to vacate the building premises at the earliest.
However, the refugees declined to send a representative and instead insisted that the officers come and meet them, as they were keen to demand their rights as refugees, who had been living in Indonesia for years.
Those refugees, who have been stuck in Indonesia for several years, are optimistic of eventually resettling in a third country, such as some Western nations and Australia.lose EDITED BY INE
Translator: Livia Kristianti, Fardah
Editor: Eliswan Azly
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
