REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DUMAI -- Seven Rohingya refugees were detained by the Western Fleet Quick Response Team of the Indonesian Navy in a mangrove forest area in Dumai, Riau, while they were heading to Malaysia. Dumai Naval Base Commander Sea Colonel Yose Aldino noted that the seven Rohingyas, comprising three adults and four children, were only carrying United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards from a refugee camp in Medan, North Sumatera.

"They were found in the mangrove forests around Purnama Beach when they were about to set sail to Malaysia," Colonel Aldino informed reporters on Thursday.

Seven Rohingya refugees, with the initials of AB, HK, YA, FA, SH, AS, and AH, reportedly entered Dumai through Medan aboard a four-wheeled vehicle. After receiving the report, the Navy team immediately conducted a check around Purnama Beach and found a speedboat along with the refugees near the mangrove forest.

The Navy is currently investigating the smuggling plan involving the Rohingya refugees while cooperating closely with the Dumai Immigration Office that has placed them in a detention room. "We will also cooperate with the UNHCR for the follow up to handle these refugees," Dumai Immigration Office Head Zulkifli revealed.

Since insurgent attacks in August 2017 sparked a military crackdown, amid reports of arson, murder, and rape, nearly 700 thousand Rohingyas have fled Myanmar, mostly to Bangladesh, and some 14 thousand of them set sail to Indonesia.

According to the UNHCR, these refugees face an uncertain future, as they have no right to settle due to the fact that Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention.

Also read: Not easy to grant citizenship for Rohingya refugees: Tjahjo

In Southeast Asia, only Cambodia, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, which enshrines basic human rights for migrants and displaced people, Reuters reported. Nonetheless, Indonesia does have a longstanding tradition of offering protection to refugees, who in the past had used it as a transit country.

However, after Australia began tightening rules for asylum seekers some four years ago, many in Indonesia could hope only for a return home or official resettlement. With these options now unlikely for many, refugees in Indonesia -- largely from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, and Iraq -- have been left stateless and rely on aid agencies to survive.

Many live on a small monthly handout from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) or from relatives to pay for food and clothing. The IOM also provides basic services, such as healthcare, accommodation, and training.

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