Observer Highlights Indonesia's Challenges as a Transit Country for Refugees

International relations observer Arie Afriansyah has assessed that Indonesia faces challenges as a transit country accommodating refugees for the long term due to increasingly limited opportunities for their placement in third countries. “Other challenges include the limited capacity of host regions, potential social tensions with local communities, and the emergence of human smuggling networks that exploit the refugee situation,” Arie said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Sunday. According to him, Indonesia has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, leaving the national legal framework limited, primarily through Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 125 of 2016 on the Handling of Refugees from Abroad. Arie noted that while the regulation can assist with the initial handling of refugees, it has not fully addressed long-term issues such as legal status, access to work, education, health, financing, and the division of authority between central and regional governments. He also stated that Indonesia must continue to respect humanitarian principles and the principle of non-refoulement: not returning a person to a place where they risk persecution or serious threats. “So, the approach cannot solely focus on border security but must integrate legal, humanitarian, diplomatic, and regional cooperation aspects,” he said. Furthermore, Arie said that Indonesia cannot rely solely on placement in Australia as a solution because Australia’s refugee intake is limited and must be shared to meet the needs of refugees from around the world. This limitation leaves many refugees in prolonged uncertainty in Indonesia. When asked whether Indonesia could reduce the influx of refugees, the professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia, said the government needs to strengthen regional cooperation, especially through ASEAN, the Bali Process, UNHCR, IOM, Australia, and other transit countries. “The focus is on dismantling human smuggling networks, strengthening information exchange, and conducting information campaigns so that potential refugees are not easily deceived by promises that Indonesia is a fast track to Australia,” he said. Arie stressed that efforts to reduce the flow of refugees into Indonesia must not be carried out by closing access to protection for people in need of asylum. According to him, Indonesia needs to strengthen early detection mechanisms, registration, handling at arrival points, and diplomatic cooperation so that the responsibility is not solely borne by Indonesia as a transit country. He also added that Indonesia can encourage more long-term solution schemes, including placement in third countries, voluntary repatriation when conditions in the country of origin are safe, and complementary pathway schemes such as education, training, or humanitarian sponsorship. “Indonesia must continue to fulfil its humanitarian obligations, but destination countries and the international community must also take a more tangible role in funding, placement, and long-term solutions for refugees,” he said. Echoing Arie, international relations observer Teuku Rezasyah, when contacted by ANTARA, also said that Indonesia can strengthen public diplomacy and increase surveillance in various regions so that Indonesia does not become a target for refugees. According to Reza, Indonesia can consult with the United Nations so that the regions of origin of refugees can be made target areas for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) practices of developed countries in accordance with their development specialities. Indonesia can also consult with the UN so that UNHCR and IOM conduct empowerment programmes for refugees residing in Indonesia, enabling them to meet the requirements set by Australia, Reza said.