Causing Social Conflict, UNHCR-IOM Asked to Find Solutions for Immigrants in Makassar

MAKASSAR - Head of the Immigration Detention Center (Rudenim) Makassar, Alimuddin, encouraged the UNHCR and IOM agencies to immediately find solutions regarding immigrant refugees of foreign nationals to be able to move to a third country because they are considered to continue to cause various social problems.

"We continue to urge various stakeholders, including UNHCR, to immediately find a third country for immigrant refugees", said Alimuddin during the Talk Show on Membangun Kohesi Sosial Pengungsi Luar Negeri quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 7.

He mentioned that there were 20 special shelters for immigrant refugees who came from various countries. The current challenge, he said, is managing them with a limited budget.

"Not to mention the protests often carried out by immigrants demanding transfer to a third country, including several other social issues", he said.

The Head of the Immigration Division of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of South Sulawesi, Jaya Saputra, conveyed the same thing that the problem of immigrants needs to be paid attention to. Based on data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) the number of refugees from abroad in Indonesia is around 13,700 people, and specifically, in Makassar there are 1,300 people.

However, the number of refugees in Indonesia is not too many when compared to Malaysia, which has reached 96,401 immigrant refugees as of January 2023.

"A small number does not mean there are no problems. In fact, sometimes it causes a lot of problems, causing an uproar. For this refugee problem, we use the instrument of Presidential Regulation number 125 of 2016 concerning Handling Refugees from Abroad", he said.

It's just that, when examined, this Perpres only discusses foreigners entering Indonesia illegally, such as being stranded in waters or force majors, including clusters who are authorized to handle refugees. However, Makassar is not a refugee from the Presidential Decree.

"We still need new regulations, even though we haven't signed a refugee convention. We need common rules to regulate and deal with refugees with clear rules", he stressed.

He added the length of stay of refugees in Indonesia is not clear, and UNHCR also has limited quotas to send to other countries. There are even refugees in Makassar who have lived for up to 14 years because there is no clarity.

"This means, there needs to be openness from UNHCR and IOM and all parties to provide explanations to these immigrant refugees how long they will remain in Indonesia", said Jaya emphasized.

UNHCR Makassar Representative, Yance Tamela said the problem of immigrant refugees leaving their country is due to various factors, such as persecution and war, then looking for other countries to get protection and a sense of security.

"This is of course UNHCR's job to restore their condition and find a long-term solution. To find a long-term solution, we cannot deny that it will take a long time", Yance said.