Iraqi Illegal Migrants File Complaint with National Commission on Human Rights
Translator
Editor
Jumat, 18 Juli 2003 16:41 WIB
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Illegal migrants from Iraq filed a complaint at the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Wednesday (29/1). They asked the commission to pay attention to the uncertainty of their situation as the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had rejected their refugee status. According to them, the Directorate of Immigration had not yet provided them with any assurances either. Adel Abdur Rahman, spokesperson for the refugees, said they had fled from a refugee camp managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in order to go to Australia. However, the Australian Navy sent us back to Indonesia, Adel told Komnas HAM representative, Enny Soeprapto. The refugees arrived in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on December 21, 2002, and were later sent to Situbondo in East Java. This year, Adel said, they fled from the camp, as they did not get enough food and the conditions were not good there. At that time, they had heard that the refugees camp in Cisarua, Bogor, was empty. Adel came to the Komnas HAM office together with Mohammed Salah, Salim Qotiya, Baida Ahmed, and Nowr Moner, representing 28 other illegal migrants. Komnas HAM is yet to make any decision regarding the matter and Enny said that National Commission on Human Rights had no authority to handle this. She even doubted that the Indonesian government could handle the matter, as it has no legal apparatus to process cases of refugees or asylum seekers. We have no legal apparatus to handle [their problem], she said after meeting with the asylum seekers. Currently, the Indonesian government is accommodating about 500 asylum seekers and this is handled by the UNHCR that handle. (Anggoro Gunawan-Tempo News Room)
Related News
Indonesia`s Startup Investment at Rp39.8 tn
14 Desember 2018
Indonesia`s Startup Investment at Rp39.8 tn
A joint-research by Google and AT Kearney shows that investments in Indonesia's startups have grown 68 times in the last five years