Jakarta, IO – An asylum seeker air dry clothes outside a temporary shelter in Kalideres, West Jakarta (16/8). The shelter, formerly a military command headquarters, houses 101 asylum seekers mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. This even though the Jakarta Provincial Government has appealed for them to immediately vacate the building which they have occupied since 2019 as the building is going to be renovated by the Jakarta Financial Management Agency (BPAD).
The asylum seekers admitted that they were reluctant to leave the location, because they have nowhere to go. They are awaiting official notification or a clear solution before they are willing to move. Amid the pressure to relocate, they continue to carry out their daily activities in makeshift conditions.
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Initially, the building was used as a temporary shelter, but because the process of placing them in a third country took a very long time, the building turned into an inadvertent longer-term residence. Although the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is responsible for the protection and management of asylum seekers, many said they feel neglected. (IO/Faisal Ramadhan)