3 Foreigners Charged With Smuggling 134 Rohingya Immigrants To Aceh

Three foreigners were accused of smuggling Rohingya immigrants to the Jantho District Court, Aceh Besar District, Wednesday (6/3/2024). ANTARA/M Haris SA

BANDA ACEH - The public prosecutor (JPU) of the Aceh Besar District Attorney accused three foreign nationals (WNA), a man from Bangladesh and two from Myanmar, of smuggling 134 Rohingya immigrants into Aceh province.

The indictment against the three foreign nationals was read out by the Public Prosecutor's team (JPU) Muhammad Riza and friends from the Aceh Besar District Attorney at the Jantho District Court, Aceh Besar District, Wednesday, March 6.

The three defendants, Anisul Hoque, a Bangladeshi citizen, and Habibul Basyar and Mohammed Amin, both from Myanmar from the Rohingya ethnicity. The three foreigners were present at the trial without being accompanied by legal counsel, except accompanied by language experts or translators.

The prosecutor in his indictment stated that the defendants smuggled 134 Rohingya immigrants into Indonesian territory through the coast of Blang Ulam Beach, Aceh Besar District on December 10, 2023.

The three defendants entered the Rohingya immigrants without the valid immigration documents and did not pass through the legal immigration checkpoint.

"The defendant Mohammed Amin was charged with violating Article 119 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 6 Year 2011 concerning immigration in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code. Meanwhile, the defendants Anisul Hoque and Habibul Basyar violated Article 120 Paragraph (1) of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 6 Year 2011 in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code," said the prosecutor.

After reading the indictment, the panel of judges chaired by Fadhil accompanied by member judges Jon Mahmud and Keumala Sari, ordered the Public Prosecutor to present witnesses.

The prosecutor presented five witnesses from the Rohingya immigrants. However, a female witness was rejected by the panel of judges to provide information because he was still a minor.

The four witnesses who gave statements to the three defendants were Sahidul Islam, Muhammad Syah Alam, Hazimullah, and Nurul Islam.

The witnesses in their statement stated that they gave money ranging from 100 - 200 thousand taka (S Bangladeshi currency) to the defendant as a cost of boarding a motorboat.

"The motorboat is bound to Indonesia. Our departure is without immigration documents. We only carry refugee ID cards from UNHCR. We boarded the ship because we wanted to leave the refugee camps which are currently chaotic and unsafe. We went to other countries to find a better life," said Muhammad Syah Alam.

Meanwhile, Sahidul Islam admitted that he was given 700 Taka per month by UNHCR as well as work. However, in the refugee camps it was not safe and comfortable because there were many bad people, so he left the place.

"In addition, we left the refugee camps because we did not get citizenship from Bangladesh. I left the refugee camps without permission from UNHCR. We went to get citizenship. We chose Indonesia because of the Muslim population," said Muhammad Sahidul.

Based on the testimony of the witnesses, the defendants admitted that they did not object. They stated that what was conveyed was in accordance with what happened, including receiving a sum of money from the witnesses.

The trial continued on Friday (8/3) with the agenda of hearing other witnesses' statements.