Viral Video of Foreigners Causing Disturbance in Setiabudi, Immigration Reveals the Facts

South Jakarta Immigration officials have clarified that a group of foreign nationals seen causing a disturbance in the Setiabudi area are refugees from Somalia. The incident, which went viral on social media, involved the refugees banging on fences and creating noise to draw attention to their demands. According to Rian Kasim, Head of Information and Communication at the South Jakarta Immigration Office, the group was protesting to urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to accelerate their placement process to a third country. “They are refugees who are urging UNHCR to immediately send them to a third country,” Rian said. Viral video footage showed several individuals hitting a fence, causing a commotion, while others were seen sitting on mats on a nearby pavement. Security personnel were observed guarding the area and engaging in dialogue with the group. Rian explained that the asylum seekers were taking turns occupying tents on a monthly basis as a form of expressing their aspirations to UNHCR. He noted that the refugees deliberately created noise and disturbances to ensure their demands were heard by the international body. Immigration authorities have coordinated with relevant agencies to determine further steps for handling the refugees’ presence. The handling of refugees in Indonesia involves a regional task force comprising various institutions, with local governments holding primary authority under Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 on the Handling of Refugees from Abroad. Immigration remains part of the task force and continues to monitor developments on the ground.