INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT MYANMAR FOR HUMANITY'S SAKE by Fardah

Jakarta, Sept 1, 2017 (Antara) - As a humanitarian disaster is happening in Myanmar, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi does not want just to talk and sit, but she has chosen to make some actions for the sake of humanity - the lives of thousands of Muslim Rohingya ethic minority.

        The ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Myanmar's Rakhine State, the home of some one million Rohingyas, has made the minister preoccupied as she has to arrange humanitarian assistance and discuss strategies and measures with her counterparts and high-ranking officials from other countries, to end the crisis in Myanmar, a fellow member country of ASEAN.

          Marsudi had received telephone calls among others from Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan to discuss Indonesia's contribution to implementing the report of the Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.
   According to the minister, Annan had expressed hope that Indonesia would help and implement the recommendations issued by the commission.

         Besides, she had also made phone calls to the high ranking officials directly concern about the crisis.

        "Yesterday (Aug 29), we had communicated with three officials, the first being Suu Kyi's security adviser with whom we discussed about the situation in Rakhine," Marsudi revealed.

         The minister also called her Bangladeshi counterpart, as the neighboring countries -- Myanmar and Bangladesh -- should work closely to handle refugees.

        Bangladesh's cooperation is crucial since without good cooperation, it will be difficult to tackle the refugee crisis, she pointed out.

        "Insha Allah (God Willing), we will visit Myanmar. We have arranged everything, and hopefully, we can make it (the visit) soon," Marsudi said, after reporting her plan to visit Myanmar to President Joko Widodo.
     In December 2016,  Marsudi had visited Myanmar and conveyed the concern during her meeting with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw.

         "Violence must be stopped since once again, it is the civilians who would fall victims. The humanitarian aspect must be prioritized," Marsudi noted.

         Indonesia has been assisting Rakhine in the construction of four schools for both Muslim and Buddhist communities since 2014, the distribution of 10 containers of food and clothing launched by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in December 2016, and the construction of two schools in Sittwe in 2017.

         Furthermore, with the support of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), Indonesian Buddhists Association, and humanitarian organization PKPU, Indonesia will build a hospital for both Muslims and Buddhists, in Rakhine State.

         According to Minister Marsudi, the permission and design phases for building the hospital are complete, and the construction process will start this October by involving local community and companies.

         "We have adopted a comprehensive approach, and of course, the humanitarian factor has become our priority to prevent more innocent (civilians from falling) victims (to the crisis)," the minister added.

          Furthermore, Minister Retno Marsudi has launched a program dubbed the Humanitarian Assistance for Sustainable Community (HASCO), initiated by the Humanitarian Alliance of Indonesia for Myanmar (AKIM), for the Rohingya minority community in Rakhine State.

         The humanitarian aid worth US$2 million donated by Indonesians will be channeled into a two-year series of social programs for education, health, livelihood, and post-conflict recovery.

          "We hope this assistance would be sustainable and inclusive as well as empower the community in Rakhine State," the minister stated at the launch of the HASCO program in Jakarta on Aug 31, 2017.

         The humanitarian aid collected by 11 non-governmental organizations of AKIM demonstrates strong synergy between the government and Indonesian people in the face of the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

         Among members of AKIM are Nahdlatul Ulama (NU, Indonesia's largest Muslim organization), Muhammadiyah (the country's second largest Muslim organization), Darul Dakwah wal Irsyad, Al Irsyad, Mathlaul Anwar, Dakwah Islamiyah Council, and Ikadi.

         "I belief that there must be a serious effort to stop human tragedy of Rohingya. Today, we gather in the building of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to formulate steps, strategies, and policies to reduce and resolve the humanitarian tragedy of Rohingya," NU Secretary General Helmy Faishal Zaini said.

       He remarked that the intimidation against the Rohingya group is a real humanitarian tragedy.

        Meanwhile, several Indonesian legislators have condemned the violence against Rohingyas, causing deaths of more than 100 people, including children and women.

        "The atrocities committed against Muslims in Myanmar, also known as Burma, are inhumane and barbaric," Ali Taher, Indonesian House Commission VIII chairman, said.

         He urged ASEAN member countries and others in the world to take a stand on the issue of human rights and the vicious massacre perpetrated by the government of Myanmar against Rohingya.

          The lawmaker called on the United Nations to guarantee and protect the rights of Muslims in Myanmar, in accordance with the principle of Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.

         Another lawmaker, Yandri Susanto of the National Manadate Party (PAN), reminded Myanmar that as part of the world community, Myanmar must abide by universal values of humanity.

          Myanmar must not oppress and discriminate Rohingya ethnic minority, just because their faith and ethnicity are different from Myanmar's majority people, who are Buddhists.

         "We ask the Indonesian Government to take concrete actions. If necessary, we should expel Myanmar¿s ambassador, to make them understand that the issue of humanity is very important," Susanto said.

        Indonesia has accommodated thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing atrocities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, their own country that does not want them.

         The 2012 Rohingya tragedy had prompted the then Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa to visit Myanmar to get first hand information about the problem there.

        After the conflict in June 2012, the quality of life of the Rohingya ethnic group had been badly affected, particularly because they had no source of income.

         Therefore, to demonstrate Indonesia's sympathy and solidarity, the Indonesian government had donated US$1 million in humanitarian aid to the victims of the ethnic violence in Rakhine State for the construction of their houses.   ***2***
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(T.F001/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 01-09-2017