VZCZCXRO1218
OO RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #0629/01 0970737
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 070737Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2058
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1607
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2683
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000629 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, PRM, DRL; NSC FOR EPHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF ID BM
SUBJECT: ROHINGYAS TREATED WELL IN INDONESIA, INTERNATIONAL 
ACCESS GRANTED 
 
REF: JAKARTA 192 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1.  (U) This is an Action Request--see Para 9.  It was 
coordinated with Consulate Medan and is Sensitive but 
Unclassifed. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Indonesia's Department of Foreign Affairs 
(Deplu) has given the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM) access for the first time to the second group 
of 195 Rohingya/Bangladeshi refugee boat people stranded in 
Aceh.  IOM is currently interviewing this group and 
supervising management of the camp.  Labatt visited the camp 
on March 16, finding that residents were well treated. 
Beginning April 14, UNHCR will send two teams to interview 
all of the nearly 400 refugees in the two camps in Aceh.  IOM 
is hoping for more funding from donors--including PRM--in 
order to cover the cost of caring for the refugees.  Please 
see Action Request in para 9.  END SUMMARY. 
 
IOM WORKING IN ACEH WITH ROHINGYAS 
 
¶3.  (SBU) There is positive news regarding the Rohingya 
refugees in Indonesia.  IOM is now present at a second 
Rohingya/Bangladeshi refugee camp after Deplu gave permission 
for IOM to have access to the nearly 195 refugees who were 
rescued by Indonesian fishermen at Idirayeuk, East Aceh, on 
February 2.  A joint verification team from Deplu, IOM and 
the Immigration Department visited this camp on April 3, and 
IOM will now take over its management, including care of the 
refugees.  Since January 28, IOM also has been managing the 
care for 193 refugees rescued by the Indonesian Navy off 
Sabang Island on January 7 (see reftel). 
 
¶4.  (SBU) IOM reported that the refugees in East Aceh are all 
in good health.  It says it would complete its initial 
assessment on April 6.  IOM was accompanied by Deplu 
authorities and will maintain staff at this camp for the 
long-term, except for a few days around the April 9 national 
legislative election day.  The Idirayeuk camp is located in a 
small yard behind the subdistrict head's office, which is 
also a polling place. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In a March 16 visit to the camp with a Rohingya 
interpreter, Labatt interviewed many of the refugees and 
found that they were deeply traumatized by their odyssey, but 
extremely happy with the way the Indonesian community was 
treating them.  The cramped but healthy camp was run by the 
local Red Cross and troops of boy and girl scouts, along with 
community volunteers.  Despite very little funding to operate 
the camp, Indonesian charities were providing for their needs 
and the community was delivering fresh fish for protein. 
"Thank Allah for the Indonesians" was a common refrain.  We 
donated sports equipment, one item that is sorely lacking. 
 
UNHCR INVOLVED 
 
¶6.  (SBU) We also documented on videotape how frightened the 
Rohingyas are to return to Burma.  They cited past 
imprisonment, beatings and deprival of civil liberties, such 
as the right to marry.  Some asserted that they would 
certainly be imprisoned or executed if they returned home. 
The Bangladeshis in the group were more willing to go home 
and a few of the Rohingyas also said they would be willing to 
go home even if just to see their families again.  Others 
said they had no idea of the ordeal they would face when they 
left home, some of the men crying as they recalled their near 
deaths at sea. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The only complaint was that the Indonesians were 
not allowing them to call home to inform their families that 
they were fine.  Labatt let two of the refugees call home 
using his cell phone, the first news that these families had 
that they were alive.  We took family contact information for 
more than a hundred refugees, and passed this to IOM and 
UNHCR. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Deplu is anxious for UNHCR and IOM to complete the 
interviews before the Bali Process ministerial begins in Bali 
on April, UNHCR told us.  April 17 will be devoted to a 
working group on the Rohingya issue, IOM said.  Deplu has not 
indicated what long-term solution the Indonesian government 
envisions. 
 
ACTION REQUEST -- MORE SUPPORT NEEDED 
 
¶9.  (U) IOM told Labatt that it already has used USD 100,000 
to date from other IOM program funds to care for the 
 
JAKARTA 00000629  002 OF 002 
 
 
refugees.  It has verbal promises of international donor 
funding, but needs more funding in hand right away. 
Australia is likely to announce  USD 230,000 during the Bali 
Process conference, IOM told Labatt.  IOM has submitted 
several budget scenarios to PRM and is still very much in 
need of at least USD 200,000 from PRM.  Should Deplu allow 
the refugees to be moved to another camp, costs will be at 
the higher end of the budget estimates.  IOM said the USD 
15,000 PRM already provided did help.  Mission would 
appreciate prompt consideration of the latest IOM budget 
request. 
HUME