Rohingya Refugees Rejected by Langkat Residents, Forcibly Taken to the District Head's Office

After two nights of Rohingya refugees staying in emergency tents, residents forcibly took the refugees to the sub-district office.

KANTOR DESA KWALA LANGKAT

Foreign Rohingya refugees are in emergency tents in Kwala Langkat Village, Tanjung Pura District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, on Friday (24/5/2024). 51 Rohingya refugees entered Langkat and faced rejection from residents.

MEDAN, KOMPAS — Residents strongly reject the arrival of 51 refugees ethnic Rohingya in Kwala Langkat Village a>, Tanjung Pura District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra. After two nights the refugees stayed in emergency tents on the beach, residents forcibly took the refugees to the sub-district office.

"The community held a demonstration rejecting the presence of Rohingya refugees in their village. They rented a pickup truck and forcibly took the refugees to the office of the Tanjung Pura Sub-District Head," said Tanjung Pura Sector Police Chief Adjunct Commissioner Andri GT Siregar on Saturday (May 25, 2024).

Another wave of Rohingya refugees came by wooden boat to the shore of the mangrove forest in Kwala Village Langkat, Wednesday (22/5/2024). After jumping from the ship into shallow water, the foreign refugees walked through the mangrove forest and went straight into residential areas. Residents refused and took them back to the beach.

The Langkat Regency Government, along with the Langkat Resort Police, initially set up emergency tents on the beach as a place to accommodate Rohingya refugees. However, the community continued to protest, demanding that the Rohingya refugees be relocated from their village.

Also read: Three Weeks The Fate of Rohingya Refugees in Deli Serdang is Uncertain

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Rohingya ethnic refugee children bathing in an emergency refugee camp in Karang Gading Village, Labuhan Deli Subdistrict, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra, on Wednesday (1/17/2024).

The refugees consist of 42 adult males, 3 adult females, and 6 children aged 4-10 years old. "Since the arrival of Rohingya refugees, we have always been vigilant in maintaining public demonstrations to prevent conflict," said Andri.

The residents' rejection continues. They gather near the refugee tents and demand that officials move them as soon as possible. On Friday (24/5/2024) evening, the situation became increasingly tense as the residents insisted that the refugees be relocated.

Residents took the initiative to rent two pickup trucks. The refugees were forced to climb onto the back of the pickup truck and then taken to the hall of the Tanjung Pura District Office. The Langkat Regency government is now facilitating the basic needs of the foreign refugees.

The head of Kwala Langkat Village, Mahyu Danil, stated that since the beginning, the villagers strongly rejected the arrival of foreign refugees. The residents were surprised when they saw dozens of foreign people without shoes suddenly walking in their settlement. Their village is a remote village on the edge of the mangrove forest in Langkat. Most of the residents are fishermen.

"Our residents strongly reject the arrival of Rohingya refugees. "Demonstrations have been held since the beginning of their arrival," said Mahyu.

At the beginning of the refugees' arrival, according to Mahyu, village authorities took them to the village hall. However, the residents immediately protested and requested that the refugees be taken to the seaside. After that, the residents' protests did not stop and they forced the refugees to be relocated from their village.

Our residents strongly reject the arrival of Rohingya refugees. Demonstrations were held since the beginning of their arrival.

Refugees have already been recorded by representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Indonesia. Residents are also requesting that UNHCR not leave the village before foreign refugees are transferred. The protests of the residents stopped after the refugees were taken to the sub-district office.

Emergency treatment

The Head of the Medan Immigration Detention House at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Sarsaralos Sivakkar, said that emergency handling is carried out with a humanitarian principle to fulfill the basic needs of refugees. "Future handling plans are still being discussed with all related parties. Currently, the handling focuses on providing basic needs, namely food and drink," he said.

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Rohingya refugees perform ablution on the beach before praying at an emergency refugee camp in Karang Gading Village, Labuhan Deli District, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra, on Wednesday (1/17/2024).

Since the beginning of this year, waves of Rohingya refugees have continued to enter Langkat. Foreign refugee entry points have shifted to Langkat after facing strong rejection from Aceh residents. Langkat is a district directly adjacent to Aceh.

Previously, on 1 January 2024, a total of 157 Rohingya refugees entered Indonesia's territory in Karang Gading Village, on the border of Deli Serdang and Langkat. They set up tents made from blue tarps on the beach. The refugees consist of 81 adults and 76 children, with 23 of them being toddlers.

Five months have passed and the refugees are still staying at Pantai Karang Gading. They sleep in temporary tents. There has been no decision regarding the handling of foreign refugees at Pantai Karang Gading.

Also read: Rohingya Refugees Switch to Entry via Langkat, Residents Strictly Refuse