Joint forces raid immigrant shelters in Pekanbaru, Riau

A joint task force coordinated by the Riau Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration raided and inspected several community houses (CH) or immigrant shelters in Pekanbaru. Agung Prianto, Head of the Riau Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, stated that this first-of-its-kind joint operation in Pekanbaru was initiated by the Head of the Pekanbaru Immigration Detention Centre as a follow-up to the establishment of the Communication Forum for Handling Detainees and Refugees (Forkopdensi). “This operation will be conducted routinely to make Pekanbaru a more comfortable and safe city, particularly to suppress violations by refugees so that the public is safe and not disturbed by foreign refugees,” he said on Wednesday evening. During the raid, the joint forces comprising elements of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, National Police, National Search and Rescue Agency, and the Pekanbaru city government—including the National and Political Unity Agency, Civil Service Police Unit, Education Office, and Fire Department—visited four community houses in Pekanbaru. The first location raided was Wisma Orchid, which houses more than 100 refugees from Afghanistan and Palestine. Officers recorded refugees who possessed four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles. “Many are now driving and are confirmed not to have driving licences. We urge them to wear helmets when riding motorcycles. There have been no other criminal acts so far,” he said. It was also discovered that refugees at the shelter were selling goods. The Pekanbaru Civil Service Police Unit provided guidance, including instructing them not to trade on pavements. At the second location, Siak Resor, officers encountered dozens of refugees from Sudan, several from Afghanistan, and one from Pakistan. Here, they were also instructed not to drive and to comply with curfew hours. At the Asqiya CH in Simpang Tiga, which also houses hundreds of Afghan refugees, those who are single were specifically asked to maintain better cleanliness. The final location visited was the largest shelter, housing 570 Rohingya refugees. The site, located near the Pekanbaru Immigration Detention Centre, is provided on land made available by the International Organization for Migration.