MORE ROHINGYAS ARRIVE IN INDONESIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000176

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, PRM FOR HTRAN;
EAP/RSP, DRL, NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/03/2019
TAGS: PREL PREF PGOV ID BM
SUBJECT: MORE ROHINGYAS ARRIVE IN INDONESIA

REF: JAKARTA 162 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: DepPol/C Stanley Harsha, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. A second boatload of 198 Rohingyas landed
off the eastern coast of Indonesia's Aceh Province on
February 3. Interviews with the initial group of 193
Rohingyas/Bangladeshis currently housed on Sabang Island in
Aceh were scheduled to conclude on February 3. DepPol/C
stressed again to the Department of Foreign Affairs (Deplu)
that the boat people should not be deported to Burma and that
UNHCR be given access. Deplu gave us private assurances that
Indonesia has no plans to return the Rohingyas to Burma. END
SUMMARY.

SECOND BOATLOAD LANDS


2. (C) Deplu and the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) were scheduled to conclude interviews with an
initial boatload of 193 Rohingyas/Bangladeshis on February 3.
That morning, a second boatload carrying 198 Rohingyas
landed in East Aceh District near the town of Langsa, about
150 kilometers north of the North Sumatran capital of Medan.
This second boat of Rohingyas trying to reach Malaysia also
was apparently pushed off by Thai authorities, IOM told
DepPol/C. An Indonesian Navy officer in East Aceh told the
media that the second boat had been adrift for 21 days, and
that 20 people on board had died at sea. Most of the rest,
in critical condition, were being treated at a local
hospital, the officer said.


3. (C) IOM told us late February 3 that Immigration
authorities had reported seeing a possible third boat of
Rohingyas off the coast of Lhoksemawe city in northeastern
Aceh. We could not confirm this report of a third boat.


4. (C) IOM offered the GOI assistance with humanitarian
needs of the second group, IOM country director Steve Cook
told DepPol/C. The GOI accepted the offer with the condition
that the assistance be funneled through the Indonesian Red
Cross (PMI),denying IOM direct access to the second group,
Cook added. Cook said IOM would need to find funding to help
the second group. The second group will be kept in East Aceh
rather than joining the first group on Sabang Island, where
resources to take care of that group are already stretched to
the limit, a Deplu official told DepPol/C.

PROTECTION OF ROHINGYAS REITERATED


5. (C) On February 3, DepPol/C raised the matter with
Kristiarto Legowo, Deplu's Director for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, and the lead official handling this matter.
DepPol/C stressed that under no circumstances should the
Rohingyas be returned to Burma as they would most certainly
be persecuted. We also asked UNHCR to be granted access as
soon as possible, repeating points made several times to the
GOI in the past week (reftels). We also expressed our
appreciation to Indonesia for the good care they have given
the Rohingyas. Legowo said no decision would be made on next
steps until after the interviews and full assessment have
been completed.


6. (C) We delivered these same points on protection and
access to Deplu Deputy Director General for Human Rights
Arzal Firman on February 3. Firman confided to DepPol/C that
the GOI realizes deporting the Rohingyas to Burma is not a
viable option, both for humanitarian reasons and because
doing so would hurt Indonesia's international reputation.
Deplu was considering options on how it might find ways to
resettle the Rohingyas voluntarily elsewhere, one major
concern being that long-term resettlement in Indonesia could
draw more Rohingyas to Indonesia's shores.

FOREIGN MINISTER: SENSITIVITIES ABOUT MYANMAR REGIME KEY
CONSIDERATION


7. (C) Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda indicated in a
February 2 statement to the media that sensitivities
regarding how Burma authorities might treat the Rohingyas is
a factor the GOI is considering.


8. (C) GOI is struggling to provide food and other supplies
to the 193 persons on Sabang, with additional assistance

JAKARTA 00000176 002 OF 002


urgently needed. Australian immigration authorities in
Jakarta agreed informally to permit IOM to divert USD10,000
of funding for another project to help with this emergency,
Minister Counselor for Immigration at the Australian Embassy
in Jakarta (strictly protect) told DepPol/C. IOM submitted a
detailed budget request to PRM for the remaining USD15,000 to
cover the rest of the emergency needs, which would be
sufficient for two weeks of food, medicine, and other basic
needs. IOM will submit a budget request later to cover the
longer-term resettlement needs of the population. However,
this funding would not meet the needs of the second boatload.
IOM will be seeking funding to take care of this group as
well, Cook said.


9. (C) It remains unclear whether the second and possible
third boatload are among the original four boats reportedly
pushed off by Thai authorities or are from a separate
migration, sources agreed. However, Callaghan speculated
that these boats might all be from the same group which
departed Burma several weeks ago and that the intervention by
Thai authorities might have put them off their course to
Malaysia, forcing them to drift onto Indonesian shores. He
said it is rare for migrants from Burma to end up in
Indonesia.

DOING ITS BEST


10. (C) Indonesia is grappling to deal with an unexpected
wave of Rohingya boat people without adequate resources. It
also wants to manage the situation in a humane way without
drawing more migrants to its shores. Indonesia has no plans
to repatriate the Rohingyas or take any other precipitous
actions. The immediate need is for assistance to help IOM
and Indonesia cope with emergency needs while helping
Indonesia to deal with long-term issues.
HUME