The Indonesian government on Friday afternoon shifted 99 Rohingya refugees, rescued by three Acehnese fishermen in June this year, from the old immigration office in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, to the city’s Meunasah Mee vocational training center.
Their move was carried out under strict implementation of COVID-19 protocols, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told journalists at a virtual press conference in Jakarta on Friday.
The refugees were rescued by three Acehnese fishermen, for humanitarian reasons, after their boat was stranded in the waters off Seunuddon, North Aceh, on June 24, 2020.
The Indonesian government has provided hygiene kits and logistics as well as health services to the refugees, the minister said.
It has also dispatched medical workers to take care of them at their new accommodation, she added.
Since July 5, 2020, officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have been registering the 99 refugees.
As of July 10, some 90 refugees have been registered by the UN agency. The registration process is expected to be completed by July 11.
During the registration, UNHCR officials found 25 of the refugee children were traveling without their parents. But, 13 of them were accompanied by their guardians, Retno Marsudi said.
"Twelve other children have been reunited with their uncles or aunts boarding the damaged boat," she said, adding that the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), assisted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has conducted a healing program for them.
The PMI and ICRC also helped trace the children's family members so they could be reunited. Their relatives were tracked in Malaysia and Bangladesh, the minister added.
The EU's Foreign Affairs and Security Policy spokesperson, Nabila Massrali, has praised Indonesia's decision to provide a safe-landing and humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya refugees.
"The rescue of Rohingya refugees who face dire conditions is a tribute to international law and proves the generosity of the people and government of Indonesia," Nabila Massrali said in a statement on Thursday.
In cooperation with Indonesian authorities, the UNHCR, and other humanitarian organizations, the EU has pledged to mobilize humanitarian support to address the most urgent basic needs of the affected refugees. (INE)
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