Tension between Jakarta and UNHCR over the reception of Rohingya refugees

The ongoing wave of migration to Indonesia is the strongest since 2017, when the harshest persecution in Myanmar began. Discontent is mounting among the population, especially in Aceh province. President Joko Widodo: 'Tough action against human traffickers, temporary assistance only for refugees'.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The inhabitants of the province of Aceh, the westernmost province on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, are increasingly demonstrating publicly - in the streets and via social media - their discontent towards the influx of Rohingya migrants, the population mostly more Muslim who was the target of persecution by the Burmese army in 2017 (subject of a United Nations investigation for genocide).

The Rohingya who today are also fleeing the civil war in their country. Over the last few weeks, more than 1000 people have disembarked, crossing almost 2,000 kilometers to escape to Indonesia or Malaysia. The current wave of migration is the largest since the military persecution of 2017.

Some of the more than 300 Rohingya refugees who arrived on Indonesia's western shores on Sunday were moved to a temporary shelter during a visit by a United Nations representative. A group of 135 refugees, mostly women and children, have been moved to a temporary shelter in Aceh Besar.

However, the local population blocked the main access road, so these Rohingya were sent, escorted by law enforcement, to another government compound in Aceh province. Last Wednesday, according to some amateur footage circulating on social media, dozens of police blocked a group of around 150 protesters who were trying to break down a gate and pushing the officers to reach the area where the migrants were housed.

This sentiment also gained ground following the message from President Joko Widodo who explicitly spoke of a government plan to bring back almost 1,500 Rohingya to Myanmar. Widodo who at the same time also spoke of "illegal trafficking of human beings" widespread among refugees: "I was informed - the president said last Friday - of the growing number of Rohingya refugees arriving in Indonesia, especially in the province of Aceh" . Jokowi added that “Indonesian authorities will not hesitate to take tough action to combat human traffickers, providing temporary humanitarian assistance to refugees only.”

President Widodo also instructed his subordinates to address the issue with the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) based on data provided by the Indonesian Minister for Political Affairs and Security, Mohammad Mahfund Mahmodin, who spoke of at least 1,478 refugees Rohingya present in Aceh: "The local population of some Indonesian provinces such as Aceh, northern Sumatra and Riau - said the minister - is burdened by their arrival".

Rafendi Djamin, regional director for South-East Asia and the Pacific at Amnesty International and member of the Advisory Board of the ASEAN Network, said: "Jakarta is normatively bound by international laws for the reception of asylum seekers and refugees and is expected treat these Rohingya refugees appropriately".

In response, however, Minister Mahfud maintains that Indonesia "is not legally bound to the United Nations Convention on Refugees. Therefore, we are not forced by the UNHCR to provide temporary assistance, but if is provided to them only for purely humanitarian reasons,” he concluded in the wake of Malaysia and Australia's declarations that they will no longer welcome Rohingya refugees.

• Rohingya refugees
• Indonesia
• Widodo
• UNHCR