UNHCR's Urge on Indonesia Over Rohingya Is Needless: Scholar

jpnn.com, JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ulema Council's head of foreign relations and international cooperation, Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, has criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for urging the Indonesian government to help Rohingya refugees in Aceh waters.

"UNHCR's insistence on the Indonesian government is actually unnecessary. This suggests that the Indonesian government and the people do not care about humanitarian issues," said the Muslim scholar in a written statement received in Jakarta, Thursday (30/12).

He said that what the UN agency must do instead was to immediately resolve the problems of refugees who had been adrift in Indonesia for a long time.

As long as the UNHCR did not show its seriousness in resolving the refugee issue, they did not deserve to talk about the fate of the Rohingya, he added.

"There is a strong impression that the UNHCR has been very slow in resolving the issue of Afghan refugees. And now, Indonesia is being asked to accept the burden of Rohingya refugees," said Sudarnoto.

This was an unethical attitude, he continued, especially because the UNHCR had left Afghan refugees in a state of misery in Indonesia.

He said the government and the Indonesian people had been committed to providing assistance to refugees through humanitarian programs.

"Indonesia's commitment to humanity has never been doubted and has been shown during various problems, including the humanitarian tragedy that befell the Palestinian nation and people as a result of the Israeli genocide. [...] The same thing was shown for the Vietnamese refugees on Galang Island several years ago," he said.