Transparency called for in granting of asylum

Transparency called for in granting of asylum

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has called on the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for transparency in its granting
of refugee status to asylum seekers here.

The call was made on Thursday by Zaiman Nurmatias, the
Immigration Office's Director for Control and Enactment Affairs,
after he opened the two-day UNHCR Workshop for immigration,
police and related officials.

He said "unilateral decisions should no longer be made, and it
is necessary for relevant parties to build a common understanding
as to who should be granted status as refugees."

The UNHCR was currently the sole body authorized to examine
people illegally entering Indonesia and determine whether the
status of refugee was justified. Zaiman insisted government
officials should have the same authority as Indonesia wanted to
accept only people with certain expertise and skills capable of
contributing to its development.

"I am hoping the workshop bridges differences on the criteria
for refugees," Zaiman said about the event being attended at the
Millennium Hotel by around 25 representatives of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the National Police, the Immigration Office, and
other relevant officials.

The UNHCR regional representative in Indonesia, Staffan
Bodemar, said in his opening remarks that: "Asylum seekers and
refugees are part of humanity. One of the basic human rights in
international law is the right of an individual to seek and enjoy
asylum."

According to Bodemar, Indonesia continues to receive a small
number of asylum seekers and refugees from countries in the
Middle East, north Africa and even central Africa.

This is a reflection of crisis situations, often manifested in
open and bitter conflict, sometimes resulting in severe
persecution of individuals, he said.

However, amid great transition in a world filled with crises
of many kinds in many places, Southeast Asia, including
Indonesia, has not seen a major refugee crisis since 1996 after
the departure of almost all the Vietnamese refugees, he said.

He noted that the closest refugee populations are those in
Thailand -- some 100,000 Myanmar people and 30,000 Cambodian
refugees -- as well as those in Australia.

"It is fortunate for the Indonesian authorities and for the
UNHCR office in Jakarta, that the number of refugees in the
country is small," he said.

Bodemar said that last year, the UNHCR office in Indonesia
received 99 applications for asylum.

The office has also recorded 47 refugees in the country,
including the 14 remaining Vietnamese living in Tanjung Pinang
district, Riau province, he added.

"There may of course be others who have not approached our
office, and who have addressed themselves directly to the
Indonesian authorities or to other diplomatic missions," he said.

Bodemar said some of the refugees who have come to Indonesia
have begun to integrate themselves in the country by learning the
language, making new friends, even marrying Indonesians, and
joining the large informal economic sector in the place where
they have chosen to stay.

"It is a varied and complex process. Each individual poses
specific problems and also has specific needs," he said. (01)