‘Indonesia committed to protecting foreign refugees’

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly has stressed Indonesia’s commitment to providing protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees despite their using the nation as a transit point illegally.
“Indonesia remains committed to providing special considerations based on the principles of humanity and global human rights aspirations,” Laoly said during a meeting with Chief of Mission of the International Organization of Migration (IOM), UN Migration, Louis Hoffmann, here on Wednesday.
Hoffmann paid a courtesy call on Laoly during a visit to Jakarta to improve cooperation and discuss the continuation of cooperation between IOM and the Law and Human Rights Ministry.
Indonesia is not legally bound to provide permanent settlement to international asylum seekers or refugees on the grounds that it is not a party to the Refugee Convention 1951 and Protocol 1967 on Refugee Status, Laoly said.
For its part, as a non-party to the convention, Indonesia is not obliged to provide settlement to foreign migrants who come to the country as refugees, the minister added.
The cooperation with IOM is designed to improve the understanding of refugee-related issues, assist the government in tackling migration challenges, and encourage social and economic development related to migration, he said. The cooperation also includes upholding the dignity and welfare of refugees, their families, and the community, he added.