Indonesian support for Rohingya grows, but gov’t firm on rejection

JAKARTA, Indonesia – From students demonstrating in Aceh to lawmakers and netizens, calls are increasing among Indonesians for the government to come to the aid of the persecuted Muslim Rohingya.  

But the Indonesian government has so far remained firm it can’t accept any more than those already on its shores.   

In Aceh, about a hundred students demonstrated on Tuesday, May 19, asking the government to rescue the Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants. 

“When other countries rejected them, Aceh gracefully accepted them. They are Muslims who are our brothers,” coordinator Darlis Aziz said. 

“Imagine if we or our families were in their position. It’s now time to prove that we have a sense of humanity.”

On Change.org, a petition initiated on March 17 asking President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to allow the Rohingya refugees still out at sea to disembark on Indonesian land gathered more than 13,500 signatures in less than two days.   

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon also criticized the government’s response, suggesting Jokowi showed more concern for monkeys than the Rohingya. 

“Pak Jokowi was very concerned about masked puppet monkeys. Now, they (Rohingya migrants) are human beings,” he said, according to Merdeka.com. He was referring to Jokowi’s move to ban the masked puppet monkeys shows from the streets of Jakarta when he was governor.

“As citizens of the world, in the name of humanity, we are obliged to provide help. In the short term, the Indonesian government must help save the thousands of lives who are in need of humanitarian assistance,” he added.

Indonesia has done enough?

But Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that Indonesia, which is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, has already done more than what it is obligated to do. 

“Data as of March 2015 shows there are 11,941 refugees in Indonesia,” Retno said on Tuesday. “This is a considerable amount. They are waiting, either in the process of verification or awaiting placement at third countries.”

Over the past week alone, 1,346 migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were rescued and taken in by Acehnese, including those initially turned away by the Indonesian Navy.

The first wave brought 558 refugees to Lhoksukon, North Aceh, while the second batch saw 3 boats bring more than 800 to another town four hours away, Kuala Langsa in East Aceh. (READ: Rescued Rohingya in Aceh: ‘We do not have a home’)

Retno said the Indonesian government is working with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization on Migration (IOM) to deal with them. But based on their records, she said, they are only able to resettle about 500 per year.  

“If there is no acceleration of the process of resettlement, then this problem will be solved in (more than) 12 years,” she said.

Regional problem, regional solution 

Retno stressed that the refugee problem was a regional one, and therefore needed a regional solution. (READ: Philippines open to sheltering 3,000 ‘boat people’) 

“(On Wednesday) I will have a meeting with the foreign ministers of Malaysia and Thailand, among others,” she said.

“First, we must determine what the root cause is, what’s causing so much irregular movement or irregular migration in Southeast Asia. 

“Second, we also need to cooperate with UNHCR, IOM, and related parties, whether they are countries of origin, transit, or destination.”

But what of those already on Indonesian shores?

Retno said UNHCR and IOM will determine whether they can be granted refugee status or whether they are economic migrants. 

“If they are economic migrants, there will be repatriated,” she said.

As for Jokowi, who hasn’t said anything on the issue yet, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, said he would wait for the result of the discussions among foreign ministers before deciding on what to do. 

But Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjojanto said the president has ordered that a humanitarian approach be used in dealing with the issue.

“Give priority to humanity. Use existing global principles on dealing with refugee problems, prioritize the humanitarian approach in dealing with the Rohingya issue,” he told reporters on Monday. – Reports from Nurdin Hasan in Aceh and Haryo Wisanggeni and ATA/Rappler.com