The Ministry of Home Affairs asks Batam to mitigate, prepare shelters for foreign refugees
JAKARTA - The Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) has directed border areas, including Batam, Riau Islands (Kepri), to prepare temporary shelter or shelters for foreign refugees as a precautionary measure.
Director of National Vigilance of the Directorate General of Politics and General Government of the Ministry of Home Affairs Aang Witarsa Rofik said that handling refugees in the future could no longer be done reactively.
"In the past, it may have been sufficient, but in the future it needs serious mitigation. Currently, the number of refugees in Indonesia is around 12,060 people, consisting of 7,377 refugees and 4,683 asylum seekers. The Rohingya issue is also a major concern in the region," said Aang in a Coordination Meeting of the Foreign Refugee Handling Task Force in Batam, Wednesday, quoted by Antara.
He added that in 2026 there were a number of important agendas, ranging from determining the location of temporary shelters, refugee living financing schemes, to self-sufficient refugee arrangements, including work restrictions.
This directive is in line with the plan to revise Presidential Regulation Number 125 of 2016 concerning the Handling of Refugees from Abroad.
"Indonesia is a transit country, not a destination country. However, how long will transit be, this is what needs to be rearranged," he said.
According to Aang, national security remains the main concern, accompanied by efforts to prevent conflicts with local residents through education and socialization.
"Although Indonesia has not ratified the UN Refugee Convention, the humanitarian principle must still be prioritized. We will also conduct a test of the handling of refugees in a number of locations in Batam. So, this report is a trigger for the establishment of temporary refugee locations," he said.
Meanwhile, the Regional Secretary of the City of Batam, Firmansyah, explained that Batam was a transit point before the refugees headed to the final destination country.
"Currently, the refugee shelter in Batam is at the Kolekta Hotel, Sekupang, which is managed jointly by the international organization IOM (International Organization for Migration) and the local immigration," he said.
"Based on our data, there are 359 refugees from Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, and Pakistan. There are no Rohingya refugees," added Firmansyah.
He detailed that 173 refugees had lived in Batam for 8-10 years, while another 144 people had been there for more than 10 years. In addition, there were 67 refugee children who attended formal education in Batam.