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Island focus: Stateless get citizenship in Bitung
After years of living in uncertainty, several stateless people in Bitung, North Sulawesi, have been issued documents granting them Indonesian citizenship
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fter years of living in uncertainty, several stateless people in Bitung, North Sulawesi, have been issued documents granting them Indonesian citizenship.
North Sulawesi Law and Human Rights Agency head Sudirman Hury handed over the documents on Wednesday at the Bitung administration office to 54 stateless people who have Filipino ancestry.
“Because they are now Indonesian citizens, they have the same rights as other citizens,” Hury said.
The Law and Human Rights Ministry assessed the individual cases before issuing the documents.
In Bitung, around 1,490 stateless people live in eight districts and make a living either as fishermen or as employers of fishery companies.
Meanwhile, there are around 6,000 stateless people in northern Gorontalo. They came to the area without proper immigration documents, which later created problems.
“Although it takes a long time, we have to help them get citizenship. This is stipulated in prevailing laws,” Hury said.
The Bitung administration will also soon issue identity cards for the 54 people.
