Jakarta, IO – Residents of Deli Serdang, North Sumatra appealed to the government to immediately relocate the Rohingya refugees because they claimed they have limitated resources in accomodating the refugees.
“The community hopes that the central or local government will quickly follow up, because the communities also have limits in their capabilities,” said Karang Gading village chief Agus Sanjaya, per detikSumut, Tue (2/1).
Agus explained that currently 157 Rohingya refugees are still living in the village in North Sumatra.
The people of Karang Gading, said Agus, are growing wary about the presence of the refugees for fear of potential conflict.
Meanwhile, Commander of the Bukit Barisan Military Command Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hasan called the arrival of refugees to North Sumatra a “new pattern”, per Kompas.com.
“Those who have been going to Aceh or Sabang have now started to come to our area on the East Coast of North Sumatra at Mercusuar Beach, Labuhan Deli, Deli Serdang,” said Hasan.
However, UNHCR representative for Indonesia Ann Maymann stated that she could not confirm why these refugees arrived in North Sumatra, after several previous groups had always landed in Aceh.
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“We don’t know why they came to North Sumatra. It could be the wind, or it could be other factors,” Ann told BBC News Indonesia.
She explained that the arrival of the Rohingya refugees was triggered by the bad situation they faced in the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh. She hoped that the Indonesian government and local communities would be willing to help them. (at)