Facing a long stay: Detainees at an immigration
detention centre in Belawan, North Sumatra. Photo: AP
Jakarta Post:
April, 9, 2013
A number of Rohingya refugees currently living in the
Pasar III temporary shelter on Jl.Jamin Ginting, Medan, North Sumatra, have
asked the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to immediately
resettle them in a third country.
M.Habib, 43, one of Rohingya refugees in Medan, said
on Monday that he had never made a problem out of which third country they
would be resettled to. This issue would fully depend on the UNHCR’s policy
because it was the only institution that had been dealing with issues
concerning the Rohingya refugees so far, he added.
“The most important thing for us is how we can find a
way to not live in the temporary shelter anymore,” said Habib as quoted by
Antara news agency.
He said the Rohingya refugees in Medan had been living
in the city’s temporary shelter for about two to four years. “It’s very boring
living in the shelters for such a long period of time,” said Habib.
He said the Rohingya refugees wanted a clearer status
and a country that could give them a security guarantee. “It has nothing to do
with money,” said Habib.
No countries were willing to accept the Rohingya
refugees, he said. “But going back to Myanmar is also not an option because our
mothers, brothers, sisters and other family members have all died due to the
conflict,” he went on.
Previously, dozens of Rohingya refugees visited the
UNHCR representative office on Jl.Babura Lama, Medan, to protest against the
agency’s slow actions in resettling them in a third country.
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