Retno Marsudi Urges UNHCR to Expedite Rohingya Resettlement

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi held one-on-one talks with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.

Taking place on Monday, Dec. 11, on the sidelines of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, the meeting focused on the issue of Rohingya refugees who have been arriving in Aceh since last month.

“We discussed the challenges that Indonesia is currently facing with the continuous arrival of Rohingya refugees in Indonesia. And I conveyed that there is a strong suspicion of human smuggling and trafficking,” Retno said in a press statement received on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry was focusing on eradicating the two criminal acts in dealing with the refugee situation in Aceh. Although Indonesia is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which compels signatories to accept refugees, Indonesia is a party to the UN Convention on Transnational Crime.

Minister Retno said the UNHCR had ensured Indonesia that it would do its utmost to help solve the problem, including by providing assistance to support the lives of the refugees.

“In a candid one-on-one conversation with the UNHCR High Commissioner (Filippo Grandi), he fully understands the challenges that Indonesia is facing,” said Retno.

Retno Marsudi also encouraged UNHCR at the meeting to continue to urge countries that are parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention to expedite the resettlement of Rohingya refugees to prevent an undue burden from being shifted to other countries, including Indonesia.

NABIILA AZZAHRA A.

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