Jakarta, IO – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has urged Home Minister Tito Karnavian to immediately speak with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding the wave of Rohingya refugees making a landfall in Aceh.
This was in response to the rejection of Rohingya refugees by Aceh residents because they were deemed to be disrespectful to the local norms and customs, per Detikcom, Mon (20/11).
“The home minister must speak with UNHCR to immediately resolve the matter by sending the refugees to the destination country for political asylum,” said MUI head of foreign relations Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim.
He also said that the MUI in Aceh is ready to accommodate or facilitate Rohingya refugees to talk directly with the local government because if left unsolved, Indonesia risks being stigmatized as inhumane in refugees treatment.
“The MUI representative in Aceh and North Sumatra can hold a dialogue with the local government or also invite the interfaith community to discuss this issue in more depth, so that it doesn’t get ignored. If it is left unresolved, in the end the government will get the blame,” he said.
For the record, as many as 249 Rohingya refugees arrived using wooden boats in Pulo Pineung village, Bireuen, Aceh, Thu (16/11) and were rejected by residents. Mukhtaruddin, the village head, said his residents rejected the refugees because they were considered troublesome following locals’ interactions with prior arrivals.
The police confirmed that the rejection occurred because there were not enough shelters and they were considered ignorant of maintaining cleanliness. (un)