Australian may let Acehnese immigrate<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Fadli, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta\/Batam<\/p>\n
A leading human rights group lamented on Friday an earlier
\nmove by Batam officials to deny entry for dozens of Acehnese
\nrefugees, while the Australian government offered to give refuge
\nto some survivors of the Dec. 26 Asian tsunami disaster.<\/p>\n
The group said that the move by Batam was a result of the
\ncentral government's poor handling of refugee affairs.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot blame the Batam administration for refusing the
\nentry of Acehnese refugees because they, indeed, are responsible
\nto register the movement of people in their region.<\/p>\n
\"The problem is with the central government as it has failed
\nto take immediate action to register and relocate the huge number
\nof refugees from Aceh who have poured into various places
\nnationwide,\" said Ruffendi Jamin for Aceh Working Group, a
\ncoalition of various non-governmental organizations concerned
\nwith Aceh issues.<\/p>\n
The Batam administration denied on Thursday the entry of
\ndozens of tsunami survivors, arguing that the refugees failed to
\nmeet the requirements in its Bylaw No. 2\/2001 on population
\ncontrol.<\/p>\n
Based on the Bylaw, any visitor who wants to stay in the city
\nhas to produce an identity card as well as a return ticket and a
\ncash deposit.<\/p>\n
\"The central government must provide clear instructions as to
\nwhether provincial administrations must waive such entry
\nregulations for the refugees,\" Ruffendi said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Australian Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone
\nsaid that Australia's refugee intake was normally determined on
\nan annual basis in concert with the United Nations, but that
\ncould be revised in the case of a major disaster.<\/p>\n
\"Our refugee and humanitarian intake is settled on an annual
\nbasis on advice from the UN as to where we should take people
\nfrom,\" she said as quoted by AFP.<\/p>\n
\"Where there's been a disaster or a crisis has broken out,
\nfrequently our intake then shifts to that area to meet that
\nneed.\"<\/p>\n
The Acehnese refugees in Batam, meanwhile, were released from
\na quarantine center on Friday afternoon to stay with their
\nrelatives who reside on the island.<\/p>\n
\"We finally allowed them to enter Batam after we were
\nconvinced that they had relatives who they could stay with,\" head
\nof Sekupang quarantine center Yan Jamaris said. He, however,
\nrefused to elaborate when asked if the refugees paid the deposit
\nfee.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/australian-may-let-acehnese-immigrate-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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