Authorities Disperse Protest Organized by Refugees in Batam

TheIndonesia.id - Batam international refugees handling task force (PPLN) dispersed a protest organized by hundreds of asylum seekers in front of the office of Batam mayor on Tuesday, August 30.

As reported by Antara, Riama Manurung from PPLN Batam said the dispersal took place because the demonstration was seen to have disrupted public order in the city.

“We are preventing clash with the public because if we let this go, we cannot guarantee that a clash will not take place,” Manurung said.

According to her, the task force received many requests from Batam residents to take firm action against the frequent protests carried out by refugees.

“These refuges have carried out 27 protests in 2022, and it disturbed people in Batam. We were worried that members of the public would come to the location of protest,” the regional official said.

And in regards to the handling of refugees, the task force reportedly maintain continuous coordination with concerning institutions because relocation and resettlement authority is held by the central government.

“We would like to remind that we don’t have the authority, and we urge the central government to immediately relocate them to regions with immigration detention centers,” Manurung said.

She added that refugees didn’t have the required permit to hold past protests.