Revisiting State Sovereignty Interpretation in Managing Rohingya Refugee Arrivals Amid the covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Abstract There is a controversy between the application of the principle of state sovereignty and the principle of non-refoulement regarding the entry of Rohingya refugees into Indonesia during the covid-19 pandemic. The results show that the covid-19 pandemic is a global threat to human security, regardless of citizenship status. Thus, everyone needs protection and guarantees of human rights, including refugees. Even though Indonesia is not obliged to accept refugees because it has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, and immigration is tightened to prevent the spread of the covid-19 pandemic, Indonesia continues to do so. Indonesia’s policy justification is based on its interpretation of state sovereignty as a humanitarian and non-discriminatory protection authority.