Bekasi, West Java – Indonesia’s NGO, SUAKA, the Indonesian Civil Society Association for the Protection of Refugee Rights, prompted the Indonesian government to conserve Rohingya refugees that had gone into the Indonesian maritime area in Aceh, the country’s westernmost province.
” These refugees have actually been stranded in the ocean for weeks. They definitely need help to meet their fundamental requirements,” SUAKA Chairperson, Rizka Argadianti Rachmah, kept in mind in a statement here on Thursday.
Rachmah highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic must not be used as a pretext by the Aceh and central governments to turn back Rohingya refugees.
” Indonesia too is bound by a worldwide principle of not declining or turning back people seeking protection. The Indonesian federal government must not do that,” she reiterated.
It is undesirable to utilize the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason to reverse these refugees, as they have been adrift in the waters without contact with anybody for weeks, the NGO mentioned.
” The federal government has enough devices to check them, and the community is likewise all set to welcome these refugees,” Rima Shah Putra, director of the Aceh-based Geutanyoe Indonesia Foundation, mentioned.
Since the Rohingya refugee boat was spotted in Aceh’s waters, the local community started making preparations in the kind of food to provide to the Rohingya refugees on the mainland.
Individuals of Aceh would be disenchanted if help were not offered to the refugees, she specified.
Rachmah noted that the Aceh government and people had earlier helped thousands of Rohingya refugees in 2015.
” In this case, mankind should take precedence. We likewise understand that Indonesia is based upon a simply and civilized humanity,” she verified.
Related news: Rejecting to help Rohingya akin to rejecting ASEAN neighborhood
Associated news: Myanmar needs to comply with ICJ order, end restrictions on Rohingya
