Apart from seeking resettlement for refugees, we also support private sponsorship and scholarships for them, so that they can get a third countryMakassar (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights as well as the Foreign Affairs Ministry held inter-agency coordination meetings to deliberate on the handling of foreign refugees or immigrant asylum seekers in Indonesia.
Director of Immigration Monitoring and Enforcement at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Pria Wibawa, stated here on Thursday that the Director General of Immigration had collaborated with the Foreign Affairs Ministry in pursuit of solutions pertaining to the placement of refugees.
"Apart from seeking resettlement for refugees, we also support private sponsorship and scholarships for them, so that they can get a third country," he affirmed.
Based on data from the Directorate General of Immigration, there are as many as 13,459 foreign refugees in Indonesia, of which 5,733 are independent refugees.
The refugees come from some 45 different countries across the world, with 50 percent of them hailing from Afghanistan, followed by refugees from Somalia and Iraq.
Director of Human Rights and Humanity of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Achsanul Habib, stated that Indonesia was not a country that ratified the refugee convention, but it still accepted refugees.
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"We accept refugees on the basis of compliance with the Constitution based on the principle of upholding the right to life," he affirmed.
Habib noted that Indonesia had applied a humanitarian approach and does not view refugees on the basis of their nationality or their reason for leaving their own country. He emphasized that Indonesia will categorically offer assistance to refugees.
This principle was also applied when Indonesia rescued Rohingya refugees that had entered Aceh in 2015. Hence, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Indonesia is a respected country.
"Our contribution to the UNHCR is very significant. Hence, they understand that Indonesia has not ratified the UN Refugee Convention. Without ratification, they acknowledge that Indonesia has contributed to the handling of refugees," Habib affirmed.
"They said Indonesia has set a good example, as despite not being a third-party country, we still contribute, at least when there is problem, and we will help them," he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Head of the Sub-Directorate for Foreigners, Katarin Rambu Babang, concurrently a guest speaker at the coordination meeting, noted that the task force for handling refugees in Makassar City should immediately adjust its composition to the Circular from the Minister of Home Affairs.
Attendees at the coordination meeting comprised representatives from the Makassar Immigration Detention Center, as the agency overseeing refugees, and all stakeholders, starting from the Deputy of South Sulawesi Regional Police, Immigration Division of the South Sulawesi Regional Office of the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Head of the South Sulawesi Provincial Social Service, Head of Health Service, National Search and Rescue Agency, Head of Civil Service Police Unit, Commander of Military District 1508 / BS, and International Organization for Migration (IOM).
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Translator: Muh. Hasanuddin, Katriana
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