UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner applauds Indonesia’s humanitarian traditions on refugee protection

JAKARTA, 25 April 2024 – UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, concluded her three-day visit to Aceh and Jakarta, Indonesia, emphasizing the crucial role of the Government and local communities in providing protection for people fleeing violence – including Rohingya refugees who are taking the dangerous boat journeys in search of safety. During her mission, Ms. Menikdiwela met government officials, refugees and UNHCR partners, discussing issues relating to international protection.

UNHCR’s Menikdiwela expressed gratitude to the Indonesian government and host communities throughout the country for the noble tradition of welcoming refugees over the years. She also conveyed UNHCR’s hope that Indonesians would continue to show solidarity to Rohingya refugees, especially following the recent online campaign against the refugees which was heavily driven by misinformation and disinformation in various social media platforms.

While Rohingya refugees have undertaken sea journeys from Bangladesh and Myanmar for years, the number of those disembarking in Indonesia has increased since last year. Since mid-November 2023, nearly 2,000 Rohingya refugees disembarked in Aceh and North Sumatra. In March 2024, a boat tragically capsized off the coast of Aceh, resulting in the death of dozens of refugees. In addition to Indonesia, Rohingya refugees have also sought protection in India (22,000 persons), Malaysia (106,000) and Bangladesh (965,000).

UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection applauded the important role of local authorities and communities in allowing rescue and disembarkation of boats in distress and stressed that timely response is crucial to avoid the loss of lives. She offered UNHCR’s continued support to the government in response coordination, providing humanitarian assistance to those disembarked, engaging host communities in initiatives and activities, and seeking to strengthen regional and global support for the Rohingya response and solutions.

Rohingya refugees who have disembarked since November 2023 are currently hosted in 10 different locations across Aceh and North Sumatra.  As many Rohingya remain in informal hosting sites, UNHCR hopes for the government’s designation of formal sites to minimize tension with the local communities and to allow more robust and predictable provision of protection and assistance by UNHCR and other humanitarian actors.

For more information please contact:

• Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok
  Babar Baloch, [email protected],
  +66 80 086 5611
• UNHCR Indonesia
  Mitra Suryono, [email protected] 
  +6281119600493

This press release was first published on UNHCR Indonesia's website.