Afghan Refugees In South Jakarta, DKI Provincial Government Immediately Coordinate With UNHCR

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is coordinating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee Affairs (UNHCR) regarding the presence of refugees who set up tents in South Jakarta. "We'll talk later. This is a humanitarian issue, so we'll talk to UNHCR how to make them also accommodated from a human perspective and not interfere," said Heru after attending a low-cost basic food program at RPTRA Pulo Gundul, Tanah Tinggi, Johar Baru, Central Jakarta, Monday, July 1. According to Heru, a number of refugees who built tents in the Kuningan area, South Jakarta, could disrupt the aesthetics of the City of Jakarta. "Yesterday I saw it on the news. I didn't have much comment, but it disturbed the aesthetics of the city," said Heru. In addition, Heru also invited elements of the Mayor of South Jakarta and the National and Political Unity Agency (Kesbangpol) to discuss the existence of this refugee.

Heru revealed that he had checked directly. "Yesterday I had (checked directly), but myself. But later together with the mayor and Kesbangpol we will check," said Heru. Previously, the Class I Special Immigration Office for Non-State Immigration Check Places in South Jakarta confirmed that the refugees who made tents in the Kuningan area were the authority of UNHCR.

"From their Immigration, they are not immigration violators, because they have pocketed the UNHCR card," said Head of Immigration Intelligence Section of the Class I Special Immigration Office for Non Immigration Checkpoints (TPI) South Jakarta Bhimsa Sanlito when contacted in Jakarta, last Saturday. Bhimsa said, if they were proven to have violated Immigration rules, then the Immigration Office could easily deport them. However, they did not go through TPI from the start because they had been registered by UNHCR as residents of conflict countries whose majority came from Afghanistan and Iraq.