©UNHCR/M. Farhanditya
Banda Aceh, 16 February 2023 – During the last three months since November 2022, Indonesia has received the arrival of 5 ships carrying 644 Rohingya refugees in Aceh. The refugees are now being accommodated in three different locations in Aceh namely, Lhokseumawe, Pidie and Aceh Besar (Ladong), while a total of 167 of them have spontaneously continued their journey (as of 13/02/2023).
UNHCR commends the Government of Indonesia, local government and local communities in Aceh for their generosity and support to the Rohingya refugees. Guided by Presidential Regulation No. 125 on the Care of Refugees, UNHCR works with and coordinates with authorities, partners, NGOs and humanitarian actors on the ground to ensure refugees receive protection and their basic needs (including food, drinking water, clean water, medical services and shelter). fulfilled.
“The needs of refugees are enormous, and it is important for us to work together in a spirit of shared responsibility to help them,” said Ann Maymann, Head of Representative for UNHCR Indonesia. “UNHCR is ready to support the Government of Indonesia in providing protection to refugees, as long as they stay temporarily in this country.”
Apart from meeting the basic and emergency needs of refugees together with other humanitarian partners, UNHCR is also carrying out the registration of all Rohingya refugees and verifying their status, as many of them have previously been registered as refugees by the UNHCR office in Bangladesh. In addition, Rohingya refugees consist of many vulnerable people. UNHCR staff provide psychosocial counseling, empowerment especially for survivors of gender-based sexual violence and special protection for children, including establishing a care scheme for refugee children.
At the regional level, UNHCR has recorded a sixfold increase in the number of Rohingya refugees making dangerous and illegal sea voyages in the Asia Pacific Region in 2022 compared to the previous year. This signals that the desperation of stateless Rohingya refugees has increased. They continue to face persecution in Myanmar and are therefore forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries. In Bangladesh, life in the camps is abysmal with limited opportunities to build their future and conditions of increased uncertainty. Those who land in Indonesia, often try to continue their journey to Malaysia due to a great desire to be reunited with their family members, after years of separation.
“Unfortunately, there are various strong motivating factors that make the refugees decide to take this risky sea journey, including the unfavorable conditions in the camps in Bangladesh, the prospects of returning to Myanmar which are currently still poor and exploitative smuggler networks. who arranged the trip but were not punished. Like all of us, Rohingya refugees want to find a place where they can have a good future with their loved ones,” added Ann. Due to the real risk of loss of life UNHCR continues to urge countries to ensure rescue and a safe landing are provided to ships in distress.
Indonesia currently hosts 12,805 refugees from 51 countries, and around 1,000 people (8%) of whom are Rohingya refugees. The situation of Rohingya refugees is of concern to all countries in the region. This requires a collective response and shared responsibility among countries across the Asia Pacific, to support countries that have hosted Rohingya refugees and to grant landing permits for Rohingya refugees who face hardships at sea.
About Us
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced groups and stateless people.
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