Fr Adrianus Suyadi, Country Director, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Indonesia, writes on the IDP’s and refugees in Indonesia and the government’s policy and behavior towards them.
KOMPAS, Saturday, 20 June 2009, World Refugee Day
According to the 1951 Geneva Convention, refugees are people who flee their country or habitual place of residence because of a well founded fear of persecution on the basis of their race, religion, or membership in a social or political group. They are recognized as refugees under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) and the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (1967).
Following the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church, de facto refugees (who are victims of armed conflicts, misguided economic policy or natural disasters), and internally displaced persons (who are uprooted from their homes without having crossed an international frontier) should also be recognized as refugees and accorded international protection.
In this sense, there are two kinds of refugees, i.e. those who fled to other countries as the de facto refugees and those who fled from the place of origin but still in a state the same as internally displaced person / IDP). They are referred to as the de facto refugees (Refugees: A Challenge to Solidarity, John Paul II, 1980).
IDPs and refugees in Indonesia
General view that, in Indonesia there is no more refugees and internally displaced person. However, preliminary data indicate in 2009, there are still approximately 70,000-130,000 internally displaced persons who have not got yet their durable solution. They are the displaced victims of past conflicts.
Amount of this spread in the hot-spots areas in Indonesia (Aceh, North Sumatra, Maluku, West Timor, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, and Papua). They until now can not get the adequate rights, such as a residence (land and house), the needs of food, clothing and health, and other basic needs (Update report IDMC, March 2009).
They are still de facto refugees for several reasons.
First, they are still living in refugee barracks, which have only very limited access to basic needs, land ownership, and public services. Many displaced persons living in Central Sulawesi and West Timor.
Second, those who were relocated to remove areas far from the villages so that they can not access the public services, basic needs, and livelihoods. This group is in East Kalimantan, West Timor, Maluku and Central Sulawesi.
Third, those who have returned to the place of origin, but can not get back the rights and property abandoned during evacuate. This group lives in Aceh, Central Sulawesi, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, and Maluku.
Causes that make them not have the future or durable solution is clearly a matter of lack of land ownership, local government aid does not reach the target because of corruption, does not have a valid refugee data, policy of the Government of Indonesia in 2004 which states that there is no more displaced persons and in turn their status changed with the vulnerable groups of society. By changing their status the government negates their rights of internally displaced persons.
Due to political conflict, poverty and authoritarian neighboring countries (Somalia, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar), has an external cause of migration of refugees (refugee) to the territory of Indonesia.
There are thousands of refugees expelled out to sea by a country without adequate supplies and security. As a result, tens and even hundreds of boat people died at sea and hundreds of others stranded in the Andaman Islands (India) and Aceh (Indonesia).
In the last five months, the Indonesian police have captured and holding the 1,395 incoming refugees in Indonesia (29 May 2009). They include 736 Afghan refugees, 391 ethnic Rohingyas from Myanmar, 149 from Sri Lanka, 51 from China, 44 from Iraq, 10 from Somalia, Iran’s 8, and 1 from Yemen.
Latest Bali Process of the Asian Government Forum issued incoming illegal immigrants not as refugees but as illegal immigrants. Thus, the Asian government forum agreed to fight human trafficking.
True human trafficking must be rejected and be fought. But in the case of a man, they ran away flee their country for reasons of safety and sustainability of life they deserve, they should be registered as refugee. On the other hand, the media also often agree to label them as illegal immigrants. This naming is inhuman that injures humanity.
Formal policy and public behavior
Determination of the Government of Indonesia in 2004 that no more IDPs in Indonesia have negated their rights. Associated with issues of refugee, the Government of Indonesia has not ratified the Geneva Convention 1951 and the protocol on refugee status in 1967. Thus, the legal-formal Indonesia is not obliged to meet and protect the rights of these refugees.
However, on the basis of humanity, Indonesia ethically should protect them as a human being. This situation is increasingly worsened with the trend of public and media in labeling them as illegal immigrants. General attitude of the Indonesian people does not take seriously more attention on the refugee issues in Indonesia. Their reason is because now there are still many residents of Indonesia who are poor and need more attention.
In order to answer the call of humanity to the refugees, the Government of Indonesia needs to ratify the 1951 Geneva Convention 1951 and its protocol 1967 on protection of refugees. As reported by media, Indonesia will ratify the convention in 2009. Are the candidates for president and vice president, who are still continuing to debate on their programmes, concerned about this ratification?
(Contributor: Fr Adrianus Suyadi, Country Director, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Indonesia)