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Jakarta - BRIN Public Relations. Since  November 14, Aceh has seen the arrival of 1,222 Rohingya refugees who arrived in seven waves by boat (UNHCR, 2023) and there are likely to be two more boats heading to Indonesia (BBC-Arakan Project, 2023). Despite the role of smugglers capitalising on the vulnerability of Rohingya refugees, they are already in Indonesia. Indonesia has Presidential Regulation No. 125/2016, which has so far been the basis for the implementation of handling procedures when refugees enter Indonesian waters and their handling in the context of emergencies. BRIN will thoroughly explore these issues in a discussion to be held on Monday, 11 December 2023, at 14.00 - 16.30 WIB online.

Quoted from various media, President Joko Widodo has instructed Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Human Rights Mahfud MD to address the wave of hundreds of Rohingya refugees who have landed on several beaches in Aceh Province since mid-November 2023. The President has also instructed that the issue be discussed with the local government, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Tri Nuke Pudjiastuti, a Senior Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) who focuses on the issue of forced migration, said that for decades the Rohingya have experienced extreme suffering, have been denied citizenship in Myanmar, and have lost all their rights to live in the country. Thus they not only have refugee status, they are also classified as stateless people.

"They were forced to flee to various countries to avoid genocide in their own country. Bangladesh as a bordering country eventually became the largest shelter, namely in Cox Bazaar," said Nuke.

However, in its development, said Nuke, the situation in the refugee shelter is no longer suitable as a living space due to limited fulfilment of basic needs such as access to clean water, food, and basic health care due to reduced funding. The condition is then exacerbated by the deteriorating security aspect with the threat of violence from certain groups to then spread the terror of death.

This prompted many Rohingya refugees to resort to dangerous sea journeys in search of safety. There was then massive mobility, beginning in 2015, which was characterised as the Andaman Sea crisis.

Nuke explained that the handling of Rohingya refugees in Indonesia is currently experiencing complex challenges. The landing of Rohingya refugees in Aceh this time received both pro and con responses in person and in the media.

"The existence of resistance is inseparable from the limited capacity of local governments in providing shelter for refugees whose numbers continue to grow as well as various issues spread about social conflicts that occur between local Acehnese and Rohingya refugees," she explained.

In fact, the wave of refugees is expected to continue. Meanwhile, the option of repatriation back to Myanmar is still far from hope due to the ongoing civil war and threat of genocide against the Rohingya ethnicity (United Nations, 2023).

Indonesia, as a sovereign and civilised country that upholds humanitarian values, realises that it cannot solve the problem alone. The Government of Indonesia sees the need for burden sharing and collective responsibility between the countries involved. In addition, the Government cannot ignore the position and role of the affected communities and local governments.

"There is an urgent need to find the right solution that is comprehensive in handling Rohingya refugees in Indonesia, to avoid the occurrence of humanitarian tragedies in Indonesia's jurisdiction," he continued.

This activity, according to Nuke, aims to get an overview of the current development of the Rohingya refugee issue and understand Indonesia's position in handling Rohingya refugees. This activity also wants to get an overview of the handling of other refugees based on humanitarian policies and committed to human rights. This discussion is expected to support various efforts for strategic and operational solutions in handling Rohingya refugees in Indonesia.

For information, the discussion participants consisted of central and local governments, academics, international organisations, civil society organisations, who conducted activities and assistance in Aceh for Rohingya Refugees, as well as the public who paid attention to the issue of refugees from abroad in Indonesia.

The speakers were Gading Gumilang Putra from Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) who was directly involved in the day by day handling in Aceh; Rafendi Djamin (Member of Governing Board, Human Rights Resource Centre for ASEAN); Fitria, S.H., M.R., Ph.D (Lecturer in International Law from Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University whose dissertation is on Rohingya refugees); as well as BRIN's Principal Expert Researcher focusing on Forced Migration Issues, Prof.Dr. Tri Nuke Pudjiastuti, MA. and moderated by Riska F. Prabaningtyas, M.IntR.(Adv) who is the Coordinator of the PRP-BRIN Forced Migration Team.