VZCZCXRO2584
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #2092/01 3560936
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 220936Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4185
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL
RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0967
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3695
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 3493
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 2116
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002092 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS, INR/EAP, PRM/ANE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF SOCI ID
SUBJECT: ROHINGYA MOVED FROM ACEH TO MEDAN, AWAIT NEXT STEPS 
 
REF A) JAKARTA 39 B) JAKARTA 205 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary. Indonesian authorities transferred 190 Rohingya 
to Medan from Aceh on December 17, where many had spent nearly a 
year in one of two camps located in East Aceh and on Wei Island. The 
arrival of the Rohingya was rejected by communities at two original 
sites intended for their relocation, necessitating the use of a 
previously-identified backup site. All of the Rohingya are healthy 
and unharmed, and IOM has provided for all of their immediate needs. 
UNHCR plans to inform the Rohingya of their status determinations in 
the near future. Both IOM and UNHCR believe the notification process 
has the potential to create tensions. End Summary. 
Background 
---------- 
¶2.  (SBU) A total of 391 Rohingya (Ref A and B) arrived in two 
groups between January and February, 2009; the first on Wei Island 
on January 8 and the second in East Aceh on February 3. The 193 
Rohingya on Wei Island have been housed on an Indonesian naval base 
since their arrival, assisted by local government and Indonesian Red 
Cross assistance. 177 Rohingya remained at the Wei Island naval base 
for transfer to Medan on December 17. The vast majority of the 198 
Rohingya who originally arrived in East Aceh on February 3 have 
absconded from a local government camp run in coordination with IOM 
and PMI over the past 5 months, only 13 remaining at the time of 
their transfer to Medan December 17. 
 
Transfer Process to Medan 
------------------------- 
¶3.  (SBU) IOM Officials discussed the preparations for transfer of 
the 190 remaining Rohingya to Medan on December 17 and their chaotic 
arrival in the early hours of December 18 at a housing complex in 
Medan where arrangements had been made for them to stay. Initial 
notice for the move came to IOM from Indonesian immigration 
officials in early December via a letter to Immigration from the 
Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU). DEPLU had been reluctant for 
some time to follow IOM's group housing solution because of concerns 
over community reaction in Medan, where existing immigration 
detention centers are already overfilled with South Asian migrants. 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Large buses were rented for the transfer by IOM and the 
group home sites identified, but according to IOM little in the way 
of official instructions were passed to Medan-based immigration or 
police officials over the past two weeks in order to prepare for the 
Rohingya's arrival. As a result, IOM staff said a large group of 
locals (egged on by journalists) confronted them as they attempted 
to depart the group homes following the transfer of the Rohingyas 
during the early hours of December 18. The locals demanded tighter 
security at the site and threatened violence. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) After long discussions between locals, police, immigration 
authorities, and IOM the decision was made to transfer the Rohingya 
to a back-up location (a vacated education and training center) at 
around 3AM on December 18. The transfer was completed over several 
hours and 182 of 190 Rohingya are, as of December 22, located in a 
single compound with a 70-room main building. The remaining 8 are 
nearby in a separate location as space preparations are made to 
bring them all together on the training center compound shortly. 
 
Current Arrangements Appropriate 
-------------------------------- 
¶6.  (U) IOM has provided for 4-person bunk bed arrangements with 
table and fan in 48 of the rooms at the vacated training center, 
each room including its own bathroom. Bedding, food, plentiful 
access to water for washing and drinking, and back-up generator 
power are all up and running. Many of the Rohingya observed by 
Consulate Medan Staff were active playing badminton or talking, and 
a TV room and common area have already been provided by IOM as well. 
A large common eating area is also ready, and preparations are being 
made to issue vouchers to the Rohingya so that they can shop at the 
local Carrefour Supermarket for their food needs and cook for 
themselves. IOM has provided catered meals to all the Rohingya since 
their December 17 arrival. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Indonesian immigration and police authorities appear to 
have received word that their role is to monitor the site rather 
than control the comings and goings of the residents, and while a 
few police were evident they made no attempt to control the 
movements of the Rohingya. Immigration officials that happened to 
arrive at the same time of the Consulate's visit to the site 
 
JAKARTA 00002092  002 OF 002 
 
 
expressed satisfaction at the arrangement and are ready for next 
steps as determined by DEPLU regarding UNHCR's access to the 
Rohingya to give status notifications. IOM staff told Consulate 
Medan that UNHCR had been in touch with them about giving status 
determinations to the Rohingya as early as December 21 but were 
holding off as per IOM's request. 
IOM Concerns on Bangladeshi Rohingya 
------------------------------------ 
¶8.  (SBU) IOM's translator who has worked closest with the Rohingya 
stated to Consulate Medan staff that the 57 Bangladeshi nationals 
among the 190 Rohingya in Medan had previously filled out 
documentation allowing for them to be repatriated to their country 
of citizenship. However, given the long amount of time that has 
passed most of this group now feels they have nothing left to go 
back to and has expressed their desire to stay in Indonesia or move 
on to Malaysia via any means available. The IOM translator said that 
they could react in an unpredictable manner and possibly become very 
upset should UNHCR inform them that their requests have been 
rejected and Indonesian immigration officials initiate a process for 
their return to Bangladesh. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) IOM senior staff have met with law enforcement officials 
in Medan on several occasions and have good working contacts with 
Indonesian immigration and police authorities. They are aware of the 
need to provide adequate oversight and security for the site, 
including for potential problems during any UNHCR status 
determination meetings at the site. Police and immigration officials 
are aware of their role and the limits of their authority. IOM 
indicated to Consulate Medan staff on December 22 that they would 
work closely with police to ensure any security issues arising from 
UNHCR status notifications were dealt with appropriately both in 
order to protect the Rohingya and ensure the safety of the local IOM 
and UNHCR staff working at the site. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) While the process has been slow and lines of authority 
often blurred, the Government of Indonesia has handled the Rohingya 
issue with great humanitarian concern and ultimately agreed to move 
the populations to Medan as it became clear that other viable 
options did not exist. 
OSIUS