Indonesia finally has a regulation regarding the handling of international refugees. The Presidential Regulation No. 125/2016 was signed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Dec. 31, 2016 but was just annouced to the public earlier this week by the Cabinet Secretariat.
As reported onthe secretariat'sofficial website, this regulation is based on a cooperation between Indonesian government, the United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and/or other international humanitarian organisations that have made agreements with the government.
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The regulation states that Indonesia will follow accepted international regulations as long as it is in accordance with Indonesia's constitution.
The Chief of Security Minister will oversee further coordination to formulate technical policies regarding discovery of refugees, shelter provided by the state, security, and overall supervision on immigration. The Chief will be working with Search and Rescue institution, police, the army, transportation ministry, and other institutions to conduct operationson our waters.
This regulation also stipulates the standard operation procedures (SOP) of handling refugees found in a state of emergency, from saving them from the sea, giving medical treatments needed, to transferring presumed refugees to local Immigration Detention Center or police station for document checking.
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The government has the authority to move refugees from camp to camp should they need to reunite with their family members, get medical treatment, or transferred to a third country.
Meanwhile, asylum seekers whose application for refugee status has been rejected by UNHCR in Indonesia will be placed in immigration detention center before being processed for voluntary repatriation or deportation.
The funding for this refugee operations, from search and rescue operation to immigration law enforcement, will be taken from national budget allocated to related institutions and other legitimate and non binding sources.
"The Presidential Regulation comes into effect on the date of enactment," reads Article 45 of Presidential Regulation No. 125/2016, which was promulgated by the Minister of Justice and Human Rights on December 31, 2016 ago.