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Batam offers Galang to accommodate migrants
Batam Mayor Ahmad Dahlan has offered to temporarily accommodate Myanmarese and Bangladeshi migrants on Galang Island
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Batam Mayor Ahmad Dahlan has offered to temporarily accommodate Myanmarese and Bangladeshi migrants on Galang Island.
He said Galang Island faced the Malacca Strait and had facilities for refugees as it was once used to accommodate Vietnamese political asylum seekers.
'Geographically, Galang Island is suitable for accommodating Rohingya refugees, although some of the damaged infrastructure needs to be repaired and renovated. The island could be used to provide temporary shelter to the refugees before they are resettled in third countries,' he said.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to provide humanitarian assistance to the migrants and coordinate with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organization of Migration (IOM) to resettle them in third countries. Australia has refused to accept the Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants. (++++)
