Government to Send Rohingya Child Refugees to Islamic Boarding Schools

Jakarta, May 25 (Antara) - The Indonesian Social Service Ministry is planning to send hundreds of unaccompanied Rohingya child and youth refugees to Islamic boarding schools. "We have coordinated with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. They may be nurtured at the RPTC (safe house and trauma center) or Islamic boarding schools," Social Service Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa stated at the Vice Presidential Palace here on Monday. Khofifah revealed that several Islamic boarding schools are ready to receive unaccompanied Rohingya child and youth refugees. "Several Islamic boarding schools have contacted me. They are located in Cicurug (Sukabumi), Malang, Pasuruan, and Bojonegoro. They are ready to accommodate orphans who are ready to become students of the Islamic boarding schools because they are all Muslims," she emphasized. During Khofifah's recent visit to Langsa, Aceh, she expressed readiness to accommodate Rohingya orphans at the Bambu Apus safe house and trauma center in East Jakarta. "The Social Service Ministry has a safe house in Bambu Apus. We offer a solution to the problem of unaccompanied child refugees by accommodating them there," she remarked. Furthermore, the ministry will also provide assistance to reduce the trauma of Rohingya refugees sheltered in Aceh province. Some 600 Rohingya asylum seekers from Myanmar were reportedly stranded on the coast of North Aceh recently. They are currently being sheltered in the westernmost Indonesian province of Aceh. The presence of the Rohingya refugees has become a cause for concern, with several organizations, including the Islamic Youth Movement (GPI) in Tanjungbalai city, North Sumatra, raising funds to assist them. GPI spokesman Adrian Sulin stated on Saturday that the concern for Rohingya refugees currently sheltered in Langsa, Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, was the motivation behind organizing the fundraising activity. "We will directly donate funds to the Rohingya refugees in Langsa," Adrian affirmed, adding that apart from the funds, the group will also distribute used clothing to the refugees. Vice President Jusuf Kalla stated that food and other assistance will be provided to the Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees in Indonesia. The vice president stated that the government had agreed to house the refugees but also stressed on the importance of international cooperation in dealing with the issue.