To receive the vaccination, the refugees should register with UNHCR Indonesia
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan has attributed inter-party collaboration as one reason for the successful vaccination drive for asylum seekers in the capital city.

"The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) responded to my appeal by providing vaccine doses for asylum seekers," he said in Jakarta on Thursday.

Besides Kadin, the governor also thanked the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for assisting in the vaccination of refugees. The provincial authorities played their role by preparing the regulations and the vaccination venue, Baswedan added.

Meanwhile, Communication Associate of UNHCR Indonesia, Dwi Anisa Prafitria, informed that the organization has registered around 700 refugees for the vaccination program in Jakarta.

"To receive the vaccination, the refugees should register with UNHCR Indonesia; we have provided a registration link that they need to fill to register (online)," Prafitria said.

The vaccination program for the refugees is targeting only those living in Jakarta, she said, adding that the vaccinations would be held in stages.

According to Jakarta Kadin chairperson, Diana Dewi, around 600 asylum seekers have participated in the first stage of the vaccination program, which took place at Bulungan Sports Centre, South Jakarta. The Sinopharm vaccine is being administered to the refugees, she added.

The asylum seekers hail from 13 countries: Afghanistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, and Yemen, with refugees from Afghanistan forming the largest group of 313 people, she informed.

Earlier, Governor Baswedan had sent a letter to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on July 12, 2021, seeking vaccinations of foreign refugees and asylum seekers in Jakarta.

His suggestion aligned with the provincial authority's mission to expedite the rate of vaccination to cover all Jakarta residents aged above 12, including foreign refugees and asylum seekers, who are particularly susceptible to infection due to their arduous living conditions.

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Translator: Sihol MH, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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