Jokowi Will Bring The Issue Of Rohingya Refugees At The ASEAN-Japan Summit

Jokowi (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the issue of Rohingya refugees is very relevant for discussion at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan, which will take place in Tokyo.

"I think it is very relevant to talk about because this is not only ASEAN's problem, but also the problems of countries visited by refugees (Rohingya)," said Jokowi quoting Antara.

According to Jokowi, the issue of Rohingya refugees is not only faced by Indonesia, which has so far accommodated more than 1,200 Rohingya residents since November 2023, based on UNHCR data.

"Malaysia also has the same problem as the more (refugees)," he said, referring to more than 107,000 Rohingya refugees seeking asylum in Malaysia, according to UNHCR until November 2023.

Although it is not obliged to accept Rohingya refugees because it is not a country that ratifies the 1951 Refugee Convention, Indonesia has decided to accommodate the refugees from Myanmar based on humanitarian diplomacy.

Therefore, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi continues to call for the root of the Rohingya refugee problem to be resolved immediately, so as not to have a further impact on fellow ASEAN countries.

According to him, the continuing violence in Myanmar due to the conflict between the military junta and civilians has forced Rohingya residents to leave the country, and many of them eventually entered Indonesia.

"Therefore, I invite the international community to work together to stop the conflict and restore democracy in Myanmar so that Rohingya refugees can return to their homes, namely in Myanmar," said Retno at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) at the United Nations Office, Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday (13/12).

In addition, in the GRF Forum, he also reminded of strong indications that the refugees had been victims of criminal acts of trafficking and human smuggling or (TPPO), including thousands of refugees who came to Indonesia.

The practice of TIP, called Retno, has increased the complexity and difficulty in handling refugee issues.

"I explained that Indonesia will not hesitate to fight TIP which is a transnational crime. However, Indonesia cannot run it alone," he said.

Therefore, Retno called for close cooperation, both in the region and internationally, to fight TIP.

He also emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation with several United Nations (UN) agencies, namely UNODC, UNHCR, and IOM, in handling this problem.