Satpol PP says all parties continue to coordinate on foreign refugee issue

South Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) Head Nanto Dwi Subekti stated that all parties have agreed to continue cross-agency coordination regarding foreign national refugees living on the pavement outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office on Jalan Setiabudi Selatan, Kuningan, South Jakarta. “The Directorate General of Immigration together with the Jakarta Immigration Detention Centre will send a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia as a coordination and follow-up step in resolving the problem of refugees who have not yet received a quota of assistance from UNHCR,” Nanto said in Jakarta on Friday. According to him, this coordination is continuously carried out to find a comprehensive solution or resolution, in accordance with the provisions of the applicable laws and regulations. As is known, the South Jakarta Administrative City Government conducted an operation against the foreign refugees living on the pavement in front of the UNHCR office in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Thursday (2/7). During the operation, the South Jakarta Satpol PP mediated and issued persuasive appeals to the refugees to raise their awareness to vacate the pavement. “The refugees were urged to vacate the pavement area and remove all their belongings by Thursday at 15.00 WIB at the latest,” Nanto stated. He said the mediation and appeals focused on enforcing public order, maintaining environmental cleanliness, and restoring the pavement’s function as a facility for pedestrians. Data collection was also carried out to find a solution that could accommodate the aspirations of the refugees, although decisions regarding their status are entirely the authority of the UNHCR. Meanwhile, the UNHCR is still trying to find a suitable relocation site for the 32 refugees. The provisions regarding the handling of refugees in Presidential Regulation Number 125 of 2016 are currently under judicial review under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs.