INDONESIA - MIGRATION IN 1999

Political uncertainties continued to dominate  the Indonesian landscape in the year 2000. The overall economic performance was a mixture of good and bad news. GDP growth reached 4.7 percent, and export revenues increased, helped also by the increase of oil prices. However, inflation was on the rise and the currency exchange rate deteriorated. Ethnic strife and uncertainties in the political system combined to discourage foreign investment – these also resulted in migration pressures.

Ethnic unrest, which surfaced in 1999, continued throughout 2000. The Maluku Islands, where Christians are the majority, was a primary area for ethnic unrest, particularly in Ambon and Halhamera. Various interpretations were advanced, with many concurring on the role of the military, utilizing religious diversity as an excuse to assert a more powerful presence. The conflict also spread to southern Sulawesi, particularly in Lombok, and to West Kalimantan, where ethnic clashes involved the local population and the Madurese. The situation in Aceh also remained tense. The conflicts resulted in thousands of internal refugees. By the middle of the year the number of refugees was estimated at 54,816 in Aceh, 64,035 Madurese in West Kalimantan, and 486,797 from the Maluku Islands looking for refuge, particularly in Manado and Ternate. In December the Manpower and Transmigration Minister announced that the transmigration program had been stopped. Between 1973 and 1998, the transmigration program has moved about 9.l5 million people from densely populated areas to less populated islands, which created tension between the local and migrant populations.

In addition to internal refugees, Indonesia still had to reckon with the issue of refugees in West Timor. At the beginning of the year some 120,000 East Timorese were still in West Timor. Some feared reprisal in East Timor since they supported the Indonesian militia and voted against independence. Others were intimated by militiamen, who spread misinformation on the conditions in East Timor. Repatriation operations were suspended after militiamen put roadblocks on the way to East Timor. UN officials were removed after they were attacked by a mob of rioting refugees and pro-Indonesia gangs. Conditions in the camps were deplorable. Refugees, 15 percent of whom were children, suffered from malnutrition. Repatriation resumed in November. However, refugees reported they had to pay Indonesian military for the safe transit. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution requiring Indonesia to disarm the militia, to try those responsible for the killing of UN officials and to ensure the safety of refugees. The registration of the remaining refugees (63,000 according to some account, but perhaps 100,000 according to others), which was scheduled in December, was postponed.

Discrimination against ethnic Chinese was also a concern during the year. In January the government promised to review laws that institutionalized discrimination against ethnic Chinese. In August the Ministry of Law announced that 145,070 stateless ethnic Chinese would receive Indonesian citizenship before the end of the year. However, some discriminatory practices continued, such as requiring ethnic Chinese to present citizenship papers when applying for a a passport, while others are only required to produce a birth certificate. The prominence of ethnic Chinese in the economy has resulted in some Indonesians blaming them for the country’s financial instability.

Many anomalies were discovered among Indonesians going to work abroad. According to the Manpower Ministry, 30 percent of workers in Saudi Arabia were sent without following the proper procedures, 30 percent had no orientation, while 50 percent did not receive their salary on time. Agencies recruiting domestic workers for Hong Kong (where some 51,000 Indonesians are working) normally charge beyond the fees established by the government.

Indonesia has become a transit point for migrants, particularly from the Middle East, trying to go illegally to Australia. However, Indonesia rejected the proposal of an Australian funded processing center for irregular transit migrants to be set up in an island south of Java. Toward the end of the year, there were 883 irregular migrants detained. The government said that approximately 30,000 foreigners, mostly from Southeast Asia, are in the country irregularly, employed by fishing companies, entertainment centers, mining and manufacturing firms. Many more Indonesian are abroad in an irregular situation, particularly in Malaysia. The Philippines decided to repatriate 1,738 undocumented Indonesians found in Mindanao.