Hate Narratives and Hoaxes Cornering the Rohingya Ethnicity?
The condition of Rohingya refugees living in Puspa Agro Flats, Jemundo Village, Sidoarjo Regency, East Java, went viral on social media.
'Rohingya in Sidoarjo', 'Rohingya ask for land', 'Foreign Minister Retno expels Rohingya' – How do hate narratives and hoaxes work to corner the Rohingya ethnic group?
A number of groups, from civil society groups to academics, believe that Rohingya resistance, which has resulted in acts of intimidation, cannot be separated from "narratives of hatred, disinformation and fake news" that are widespread on social media.
A study that highlights the narrative of spreading prejudice against the Rohingya ethnic group on social media also reveals the workings of allegedly organized disinformation spreaders.
The following are things you need to know to understand the context of incitement to hatred against the Rohingya ethnic group.
Why are the Rohingya being rejected?
Commentators on social media reject the Rohingya as considering them a threat. Worried about being a burden on the state, having bad behavior, triggering crime, creating our own state in Indonesia, and triggering social inequality.
The BBC took excerpts from comments from the latest news when a group of students intimidated Rohingya refugees in the city of Banda Aceh on Wednesday (27/12).
As of January 1, 2024, this news has received more than 2,000 comments pro and con.
A number of reasons for rejecting Rohingya are summarized as follows:
Rohingya will seize the land of Aceh like the Israeli-Palestinian case.
So it's a burden on the state budget.
Rohingya demand adequate refugee camps.
Dirty and dirty, often defecating in the open.
Throwing away food.
Illegal immigrants enter illegally without visas and clear identification.
Apart from that, there were comments that wrote that the presence of the Rohingya ethnic group in Aceh would create social inequality.
"Many people in Indonesia still live on the poverty line, how come illegal immigrants are pitied," wrote one netizen.
In general, those who oppose start with the sentence: "I am not against refugees, and helping citizens of other countries. However..."
And, this will be followed by further reasons – although quite a few will directly make negative accusations.
From this problem, the BBC tries to classify it into: worry about being a burden on the state budget, crime, territorial occupation, illegal immigrants and creating social inequality. Here are the facts:
Are Rohingya Refugees a burden on the state budget?
No.
"There's no [budget allocation] in the APBN, it's not in the regional government [APBD], it goes to regional government areas that don't have a budget," said the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security (Menkopolhukam), Mahfud MD., Thursday (12/14/2023).
In this case, the government only provides temporary shelter locations for what Mahfud MD called "for the sake of humanity".
The daily living needs of refugees or asylum seekers in Indonesia – not just Rohingya – are covered by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR.
"Every cost and need for existing refugees will be covered or borne by UNCHR and working partners... Absolutely not using funding from the state, or APBN/APBD," said UNHCR Representative for Indonesia, Mitra Salima Suryono, Thursday (28/12/2023).
UNHCR funds come from community, institutional or private donations.
Are Rohingya refugees committing crimes?
In fact, several Rohingya refugees in Indonesia have been involved in cases of human trafficking or human smuggling, running away from shelters, and allegations of sexual harassment.
This entire case has been handled by the police. This means that those involved in these cases have been legally processed.
However, these criminal cases are used as a reason for some people to reject the existence of refugees.
"Sadly, the crimes of a number of people were beaten down to the blame and punishment of the entire Rohingya ethnic group," said KontraS Aceh Coordinator, Azharul Husna.
"If one person commits a crime, it seems unfair if we place the blame on everyone," he said.
Rohingya ask for land in Aceh, could it really be like the Israeli-Palestinian case?
"It's impossible, because they don't have the right to own property here," said Azharul Husna. Plus, refugees don't have the right to work, and their space for movement is limited.
The proof is that none of the refugees and asylum seekers who have been accommodated in Indonesia for more than a decade have a house or a private island.
Based on the UNHCR report, the number of refugees in Indonesia as of 2022 is 12,616 people, most of whom come from Afghanistan (55%), Somalia (10%), and Myanmar (6%).
Legal status of Rohingya in Indonesia
In simple terms, a refugee or refugee is identified as someone who has fled their country of origin due to a real threat of discrimination, persecution and violence for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular group and political opinions.
Rohingya refugees are considered to meet these criteria according to the UNCHR.
Refugees generally seek protection from countries that have ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol.
Indonesia did not ratify the convention. This means that Indonesia could refuse to provide protection to refugees.
However, on various occasions, the government has said it is willing to temporarily accommodate Rohingya refugees on humanitarian grounds.
With this status and conditions, it is almost impossible for Rohingya refugees to have Indonesian ID cards, even if they marry Indonesian citizens. The conditions are strict, including having to have a job and a steady income.
“Even if a refugee receives status as an asylum seeker or refugee status from UNHCR, it is still not possible to get married in Indonesia.
"Because, these refugees are only allowed to stay temporarily, before being transferred to a third country, and are not allowed to carry out certain activities," said Miranda Timothy Butarbutar from LBH Mawar Saron as quoted from Hukumonline.
Do all Rohingyas behave badly?
The Rohingya are called in social media comments as dirty, because they defecate in the open.
KontraS Coordinator, Azharul Husna, did not deny this. But once again, this is a case that cannot be dealt with equally by all.
"That's just one or two cases," he said.
Moreover, added Husna, the Rohingya ethnic group has a background as a persecuted group and has been on the run all their life.
A number of refugee camps do not provide enough education on environmental hygiene, toilet facilities and health.
Apart from that, there is also a polemic about food thrown away by refugees.
“There's a video of wasted food wrappers, one pack. "But it seems as if refugees have a hobby of throwing away food," said Husna.
Including a video showing a refugee throwing aid into the sea, when some residents tried to push their boat back.
According to Husna, there is a possibility that it is a symbolic message, due to language limitations.
Any help will be useless when they have to be returned to the sea, because sooner or later their lives are threatened.
“This is December, when storms, etc. sea conditions have ever been safe enough. "These are people gambling with their lives," said Husna.
Does the existence of the Rohingya create social jealousy?
In one social media broadcast, a Rohingya refugee was seen earning living expenses of IDR 1.2 million/month. This video broadcast is coupled with an honorary teacher's salary of IDR 300,000/month.
There were also netizens who complained: "Many people in Indonesia still live on the poverty line, how come illegal immigrants are pitied?"
This returns to the main point: the Indonesian government does not pay money for Rohingya refugees, and they are not allowed to work in Indonesia. Refugees have no income, and their space for movement is limited.
"Why should they be helped? Because they can't work. They can't find food," said UNHCR Representative for Indonesia, Mitra Salima Suryono.
What are some examples of hoaxes and disinformation about Rohingya on social media?
BBC Indonesia summarizes hoaxes that have been verified by the Indonesian Anti-Defamation Society (MAFINDO) and the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo).
In the last two months (November – December 2023) there have been at least 10 hoaxes containing negative sentiment towards the Rohingya ethnic group, namely:
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD returns Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.]
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi expels Rohingya.
The Rohingya community demands land rights from Malaysia.
Rohingya refugees have the potential to add voters in the 2024 election.
Rohingya and the British came to Myanmar and colonized, then the Rohingya lived there.
The UNHCR Indonesia account asks the Indonesian government to provide housing, food and ID cards for the Rohingya people.
Furthermore, hoaxes were also found that said 'Fishermen in Surabaya intercepted a Rohingya refugee boat', 'A ferry containing Rohingya refugees was heading to Indonesia', 'Rohingya refugees were stranded in Mandalika' and 'Mr Beast bought the northern sentinel island to be occupied by Rohingya ethnic groups'.
Apart from hoaxes, there is also disinformation regarding Rohingya refugees. One area of concern was the destruction of facilities at the Sidoardjo refugee camp, East Java on December 8, which was triggered by a power outage.
In the video circulating on social media, a narrative emerged that Rohingya refugees were carrying out destruction and demanding proper facilities.
However, a number of media have verified this. As a result, this act of destruction was carried out by refugees from other countries, not Rohingya – as quoted from Kompas.
How do hoaxes and disinformation work?
"The public's ignorance about something is an entry point for disinformation. "It can work and influence someone," said Chairman of the MAFINDO Presidium, Septiaji Eko Nugroho to BBC News Indonesia.
Incitement to hatred due to hoaxes and disinformation is widespread because it arouses the emotions of citizens who do not know "that the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted groups on earth."
For example, videos depicting Rohingya refugees asking for more food, or throwing away food.
"What becomes disinformation is then generalized... Over-generalization is usually used by people who are trying to shift public perception about something. So, it seems as if everything is like that," said Zek - Septiaji Eko Nugroho's nickname.
The hate narrative circulating is what Eko Nugroho calls "demonization" or an attempt to shape the Rohingya as something evil, worthy of insult and blame.
What are the interests behind the Rohingya polemic?
Most netizens, especially on platform
From conversation analysis
"The magnitude of the emotion of "trust" is closely related to the public's belief that the pros and cons of Rohingya narratives are related to the presidential election and all disinformation about Rohingya refugees is driven by certain parties," wrote Drone Emprit's statement.
This organization also revealed that conversations related to Rohingya on social media were dominated by a more positive tone (56%) than negative (33%).
Those who tweet positively write messages so that people are not xenophobic (feelings of hatred, fear, wariness of foreigners or things they don't know-KBBI).
Then, suspecting that there was an order issue, and condemning the action of expelling Rohinya by Acehnese students.
On the other hand, accounts that are against Rohingya refugees mostly discuss illegal immigrants, and highlight the Indonesian population who need help more.
A number of groups believe that the issue of Rohingya rejection is organized, including international relations academic from President University, Nino Viartasiwi.
"The aim is to securitize issues, improve the political process, to elevate issues that were not originally security issues to become security issues," said this researcher from the RDI Urban Refugee Research Group.
Narasi Kebencian dan Hoaks Menyudutkan Etnis Rohingya?
kondisi pengungsi Rohingya yang tinggal di Rusun Puspa Agro, Desa Jemundo, Kabupaten Sidoarjo, Jawa Timur, viral di media sosial.
'Rohingya di Sidoarjo', ‘Rohingya minta tanah’, 'Menlu Retno usir Rohingya' – Bagaimana narasi kebencian dan hoaks bekerja menyudutkan etnis Rohingya?
Sejumlah kalangan dari kelompok masyarakat sipil hingga akademisi meyakini penolakan Rohingya yang berujung aksi intimidasi, tak lepas dari “narasi kebencian, disinformasi dan berita bohong” yang meluas di media sosial.
Sebuah penelitian yang menyoroti narasi penyebaran prasangka buruk terhadap etnis Rohingya di media sosial, juga mengungkap cara kerja penyebar disinformasi yang diduga terorganisir.
Berikut adalah hal-hal yang perlu Anda ketahui untuk mengetahui konteks hasutan kebencian terhadap etnis Rohingya.
Kenapa Rohingya ditolak?
Para komentator di media sosial menolak Rohingya karena menganggap mereka ancaman. Khawatir jadi beban negara, punya perilaku buruk, memicu kriminalitas, membuat negara sendiri di Indonesia, dan memicu kesenjangan sosial.
BBC mengambil nukilan komentar dari berita terbaru saat gerombolan mahasiswa mengintimidasi pengungsi Rohingya di Kota Banda Aceh pada Rabu (27/12) silam.
Per 1 Januari 2024, berita ini telah menuai lebih dari 2.000 komentar pro dan kontra.
Sejumlah alasan menolak Rohingya dirangkum sebagai berikut:
Rohingya akan merebut tanah Aceh seperti kasus Israel-Palestina.
Jadi beban anggaran negara.
Rohingya menuntut lokasi pengungsian yang layak.
Jorok dan kotor, kerap buang air besar sembarang.
Membuang makanan.
Imigran gelap masuk secara ilegal tanpa visa dan identitas yang jelas.
Selain itu, ada komentar menulis keberadaan etnis Rohingya di Aceh akan membuat kesenjangan sosial.
“Indonesia masih banyak yang hidup di garis kemiskinan, kok imigran gelap dikasihani,” tulis seorang warganet.
Pada umumnya, mereka yang kontra memulai dengan kalimat: “Saya tidak anti terhadap pengungsi, dan membantu warga negara lain. Namun...”
Dan, ini akan diikuti dengan alasan-alasan lanjutan – meskipun tidak sedikit yang secara langsung melakukan tuduhan negatif.
Dari persoalan ini, BBC berupaya untuk mengklasifikasikannya menjadi: khawatir jadi beban anggaran negara, kriminalitas, pendudukan wilayah, imigran gelap dan membuat kesenjangan sosial. Berikut adalah fakta-faktanya:
Apakah Pengungsi Rohingya membebani anggaran negara?
Tidak.
"Ini kan nggak ada [alokasi anggarannya] di APBN, nggak ada di pemda [APBD], dia masuk ke daerah-daerah pemda nggak punya anggaran,“ kata Menteri Koordinator bidang Politik, Hukum dan Keamanan (Menkopolhukam), Mahfud MD., Kamis (14/12/2023).
Dalam hal ini, pemerintah hanya menyediakan lokasi penampungan sementara apa yang disebut Mahfud MD sebagai "demi kemanusiaan“.
Kebutuhan hidup sehari-hari pengungsi atau pencari suaka di Indonesia – bukan hanya Rohingya – ditanggung oleh Badan Pengungsi PBB, UNHCR.
"Setiap biaya, kebutuhan pengungsi yang ada itu akan di-cover, atau ditanggung oleh UNCHR dan mitra-mitra kerja... Sama sekali tidak menggunakan pendanaan dari negara, atau APBN/APBD," kata Perwakilan UNHCR untuk Indonesia, Mitra Salima Suryono, Kamis (28/12/2023).
Dana UNHCR ini berasal, salah satunya dari donasi masyarakat, lembaga atau swasta.
Apakah pengungsi Rohingya melakukan tindak kriminalitas?
Faktanya, beberapa pengungsi Etnis Rohingya di Indonesia terlibat kasus perdagangan manusia atau penyelundupan manusia, kabur dari penampungan, dan dugaan pelecehan seksual.
Seluruh kasus ini telah ditangani polisi. Artinya mereka yang terlibat kasus-kasus ini telah diproses secara hukum.
Bagaimanapun, kasus-kasus kriminalitas ini dijadikan alasan sebagian orang menolak keberadaan pengungsi.
Mirisnya, kejahatan sejumlah orang dipukul rata jadi kesalahan dan hukuman seluruh etnis Rohingya, kata Koordiantor KontraS Aceh, Azharul Husna.
"Kalau lah satu orang melakuan kejahatan, nampaknya tidak adil kalau kita timpakan kesalahan itu terhadap semua orang,“ katanya.
Rohingya minta tanah di Aceh, memang bisa seperti kasus Israel-Palestina?
"Mustahil, karena mereka tidak berhak memiliki properti di sini,“ kata Azharul Husna. Ditambah lagi, pengungsi tak punya hak untuk bekerja, dan ruang gerak mereka dibatasi.
Buktinya, pengungsi dan pencari suaka yang ditampung di Indonesia lebih dari satu dekade tak satupun yang punya rumah atau pulau pribadi.
Berdasarkan laporan UNHCR jumlah pengungsi yang ada di Indonesia per 2022 sebanyak 12.616 orang yang kebanyakan berasal dari Afghanistan (55%), Somalia (10%), dan Myanmar (6%).
Status hukum Rohingya di Indonesia
Secara sederhana, pengungsi atau refugee diidentifikasi sebagai seseorang yang mengungsi dari negara asalnya dikarenakan ancaman nyata berupa diskriminasi, persekusi, dan kekerasan karena alasan ras, agama, kebangsaan, keanggotan di dalam kelompok tertentu, dan pendapat politiknya.
Pengungsi Rohingya dianggap memenuhi kriteria ini menurut UNCHR.
Para pengungsi umumnya mencari perlindungan dari negara-negara yang meratifikasi Konvensi Pengungsi 1951 dan Protokol 1967.
Indonesia tidak meratifikasi konvensi tersebut. Artinya, Indonesia bisa saja menolak memberi perlindungan terhadap pengungsi.
Namun, dalam pelbagai kesempatan, pemerintah mengatakan bersedia menampung sementara pengungsi Rohingya atas dasar kemanusiaan.
Dengan status dan kondisi ini, hampir mustahil pengungsi Rohingya punya KTP Indonesia, sekalipun mereka menikah dengan WNI. Syaratnya ketat, termasuk harus punya pekerjaan dan penghasilan tetap.
“Sekalipun refugee mendapat status sebagai pencari suaka atau status pengungsi dari UNHCR, tetap saja tidak dimungkinkan untuk melangsungkan perkawinan di Indonesia.
Sebab, refugee tersebut hanya diizinkan tinggal sementara, sebelum dipindahkan ke negara ketiga, dan tidak diperkenankan untuk melakukan suatu kegiatan tertentu,” kata Miranda Timothy Butarbutar dari LBH Mawar Saron seperti dikutip dari Hukumonline.
Apakah semua etnis Rohingya berkelakuan buruk?
Etnis Rohingya disebut dalam komentar media sosial sebagai jorok, karena buang air sembarang.
Koordinator KontraS, Azharul Husna tak menampik hal tersebut. Tapi sekali lagi, ini kasus yang tak bisa dipukul rata pada semuanya.
“Itu satu-dua saja kasusnya,” katanya.
Lagi pula, tambah Husna, etnis Rohingnya memiliki latar belakang sebagai kelompok yang teraniaya dan sepanjang hidup berada dalam pelarian.
Sejumlah penampungan pengungsi tak cukup memberikan pendidikan kebersihan lingkungan, fasilitas MCK dan kesehatan.
Selain itu, ada juga polemik makanan yang dibuang pengungsi.
“Itu kan ada video bungkus makanan terbuang, satu bungkus. Tapi seolah-olah pengungsi hobinya buang makanan,” kata Husna.
Termasuk video yang menunjukkan seorang pengungsi membuang bantuan di laut, saat ada upaya sebagian warga mendorong kembali kapal mereka.
Menurut Husna ada kemungkinan itu pesan simbolik, karena keterbatasan bahasa.
Bantuan apapun akan percuma ketika mereka harus dikembalikan ke laut, karena cepat atau lambat nyawa mereka terancam.
“Ini bulan Desember, di mana badai, dan lain-lain kondisi laut kapan sih pernah cukup aman. Ini kan orang berjudi dengan nyawanya,” kata Husna.
Apakah keberadaan Rohingya membuat kecemburuan sosial?
Dalam satu tayangan media sosial, seorang pengungsi Rohingya terlihat memperoleh biaya hidup Rp1,2 juta/bulan. Tayangan video ini disandingkan dengan gaji guru honorer Rp300.000/bulan.
Ada pula warganet yang mengeluh: “Indonesia masih banyak yang hidup di garis kemiskinan, kok imigran gelap dikasihani”.
Hal ini balik lagi ke pokok utama: pemerintah Indonesia tidak mengeluarkan biaya untuk pengungsi Rohingya, dan mereka tak boleh bekerja di Indonesia. Pengungsi tak punya penghasilan, dan ruang gerak mereka terbatas.
"Mengapa mereka harus dibantu? Karena tidak boleh bekerja. Tidak bisa cari makan,“ kata Perwakilan UNHCR untuk Indonesia, Mitra Salima Suryono.
Apa saja contoh hoaks dan disinformasi tentang Rohingya di media sosial?
BBC Indonesia merangkum hoaks yang telah diverifikasi Masyarakat Anti Fitnah Indonesia (MAFINDO) dan Kementerian Komunikasi dan Infromatika (Kominfo).
Dalam dua bulan terakhir (November – Desember 2023) setidaknya terdapat 10 hoaks bermuatan sentimen negatif terhadap etnis Rohingya, yaitu:
Menkopolhukam Mahfud MD kembalikan pengungsi Rohingya ke Myanmar.]
Menteri Luar Negeri Retno Marsudi usir Rohingya.
Masyarakat Rohingya menuntut hak atas tanah kepada Malaysia.
Pengungi Rohingya berpotensi tambah pemilih pada pemilu 2024.
Rohingya dan Inggris datang ke Myanmar dan menjajah, kemudian Rohingya tinggal di sana.
Akun UNHCR Indonesia minta pemerintah Indonesia berikan rumah, makan dan KTP untuk rakyat Rohingya.
Selanjutnya ditemukan juga hoaks yang menyebut ‘Nelayan di Surabaya hadang kapal pengungsi Rohingya’, ‘Kapal feri berisi pengungsi Rohingya sedang menuju Indonesia’, ‘Pengungsi Rohingya terdampar di Mandalika’ dan ‘Mr Beast membeli pulau sentinel utara untuk ditempati etnis Rohingya’.
Selain hoaks, terdapat juga disinformasi mengenai pengungsi Rohingya. Salah satu yang menjadi perhatian adalah pengrusakan fasilitas di lokasi pengungsian Sidoardjo, Jawa Timur pada 8 Desember yang dipicu pemadaman listrik.
Dalam video yang beredar media sosial terbangun narasi, bahwa pengungsi Rohingya melakukan pengrusakan, dan menuntut fasilitas yang layak.
Namun, sejumlah media telah memverifikasi hal tersebut. Hasilnya, aksi pengrusakan ini dilakukan pengungsi dari negara lain, bukan Rohingya – seperti dikutip dari Kompas.
Bagaimana cara kerja hoaks dan disinformasi?
“Ketidaktahuan masyarakat tentang sesuatu hal itu menjadi salah satu pintu masuk bagi disinformasi. Itu bisa bekerja dan mempengaruhi seseorang,” kata Ketua Presidium MAFINDO, Septiaji Eko Nugroho kepada BBC News Indonesia.
Hasutan kebencian karena hoaks dan disinformasi ini meluas karena membangkitkan emosi warga yang tidak tahu “kalau Rohingya ini salah satu kelompok yang paling dipersekusi di muka bumi”.
Contohnya, video yang menggambarkan pengungsi Rohingya minta tambah makan, atau membuang makan.
"Yang jadi diisinformasi itu kemudian digeneralisasi… Over-generalisasi yang biasanya digunakan oleh orang-orang yang berusaha menggeser persepsi publik tentang sesuatu. Jadi, seolah-olah semuanya seperti itu,” kata Zek – sapaan Septiaji Eko Nugroho.
Narasi kebencian yang beredar ini disebut Eko Nugroho sebagai “demonisasi” atau upaya membentuk Rohingya sebagai sesuatu yang jahat, layak dihina dan disalahkan.
Apa kepentingan di balik polemik Rohingya?
Sebagian besar warganet terutama di platform X meyakini adanya isu Pilpres 2024 di balik polemik pengungsi Rohingya, setidaknya ini yang ditemukan oleh Drone Emprit melalui penelitiannya.
Dari analis percakapan X periode 1 – 29 Desember 2023, Drone Emprit menemukan emosi keyakinan warganet (4,4k), bahwa isu Rohingya berkaitan dengan isu Pilpres, dan (2,6k) emosi publik mengutuk adanya kemungkinan penggunaan isu Rohingya untuk pemilu.
"Besarnya emosi 'trust‘ berhubungan erat dengan keyakinan publik, bahwa narasi pro kontra Rohingya berkaitan dengan Pilpres dan segala disinformasi soal pengungsi Rohingya digerakkan oleh pihak tertentu,“ tulis pernyataan Drone Emprit.
Organisasi ini juga mengungkap percakapan terkait Rohingya di media sosial lebih didominasi nada positif (56%) dibandingkan negatif (33%).
Mereka yang berkicau positif menulis pesan agar masyarakat tidak xenofobia (perasaan benci takut, waswas terhadap orang asing atau sesuatu yang belum dikenal-KBBI).
Lalu, menduga ada isu pesanan, serta mengutuk aksi pengusiran Rohinya oleh mahasiswa Aceh.
Di sisi lain, akun-akun yang kontra terhadap pengungsi Rohingya banyak mengulas soal imigran ilegal, dan menyoroti penduduk Indonesia yang lebih membutuhkan bantuan.
Sejumlah kalangan meyakini isu penolakan Rohingya ini terorganisir, termasuk akademisi hubungan internasional dari Universitas Presiden, Nino Viartasiwi.
"Tujuannya sekuritisasi isu, meningkatkan proses politik, untuk meningkatkan isu yang asalnya bukan isu keamanan menjadi isu keamanan,“ kata peneliti dari RDI Urban Refugee Research Group ini.