TEMPO.CO, Jember - Fifty five illegal immigrants from Rohingnya, Myanmar, were checked in at the Jember Immigration Office checkpoint at East Java on Monday (15/4). The immigrants were apprehended by Banyuwangi Police on Saturday as they were attempting to make their way to Australia.
"We are still collecting data and conduncting medical check-ups for further processing," Chief of Jember Customs Mujiantoro said.
Based on the data collected by the Jember immigration team, the immigrants consists of 35 men, 10 women and 10 children. Only six of them claimed to have proper immigration documents such as passports.
Mujiantoro said that the immigrants will be accommodated in a local hotel whilst waiting for officers from the International Organization on Migration (IOM).
Some of the immigrants informed that they have left Myanmar since five to 15 years ago because they can not bear to live under conflicts between civilian-military and between ethnic-religious communities (Muslim-Buddhist).
Before arriving in Indonesia, they claimed to have sought refuge in Malaysia. "We went to escape the conflict, to find a better life," said Hanambibi, a woman who fled with her husband and two children.
MAHBUB DJUNAIDY