This article assesses the implementation of Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 concerning the Treatment of Refugees and how it relates to different kinds of bureaucratic labelling of refugees as it unfolds in Indonesia’s region of Kupang. From a politico-historical perspective, Kupang is a useful case-study for elucidating the policy implications of the labelling of refugees, as the region has been hosting different kinds of refugees due to its strategic geographical location that borders Australia and Timor-Leste. Drawing on my fieldwork in Kupang between October 2012 and October 2013, and my intermittent return to the region between January 2017 and February 2019, this article argues that labels for refugees evolve over time in response to the larger sociopolitical situation, but they are formed mostly to serve the interest of the host country rather than those of displaced people. Furthermore, while labelling displaced people as “refugees” has been effective in justifying funding and support, it can also lead to a manipulation of refugee status, and the marginalization and exclusion of refugees.

中文翻译：

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印度尼西亚东部古邦的身份政治和难民政策：政治历史视角

本文评估了关于难民待遇的 2016 年第 125 号总统条例的实施情况，以及它与印度尼西亚古邦地区不同类型的难民官僚标签的关系。从政治历史的角度来看，古邦是一个有用的案例研究，可用于阐明难民标签的政策含义，因为该地区由于其与澳大利亚和东帝汶接壤的战略地理位置，一直在接收不同类型的难民。借鉴我在 2012 年 10 月至 2013 年 10 月期间在古邦进行的实地调查，以及我在 2017 年 1 月至 2019 年 2 月期间间歇性返回该地区的情况，本文认为难民的标签会随着时间的推移而演变，以应对更大的社会政治形势，但它们的形成主要是为了东道国的利益，而不是为流离失所者的利益服务。此外，虽然将流离失所者贴上“难民”的标签有效地证明了资金和支持的合理性，但它也可能导致对难民身份的操纵，以及难民的边缘化和排斥。