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Rakhine: A moment for Indonesia and ASEAN to act

Up to 200,000 Rohingya people remain in northern Rakhine and around 350,000 elsewhere in the state. 

Moazzam Malik (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Fri, November 10, 2017

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Rakhine: A moment for Indonesia and ASEAN to act ASEAN can catalyse the international community by generating access for bodies such as the UN. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)

W

e have all seen the shocking images of the humanitarian situation faced by Myanmar’s Rohingya people. About 607,000 people have crossed the border to Bangladesh in less than three months. Up to 200,000 Rohingya people remain in northern Rakhine and around 350,000 elsewhere in the state.  Many of them are displaced from their homes. 

Assessments from the ground indicate that lack of security, travel restrictions and food shortages are major drivers behind the most recent flow of refugees. Those assessments also show that while humanitarian assistance is getting into Bangladesh, the level of assistance getting into Rakhine state is simply inadequate. The key obstacle is the reluctance of the Myanmar authorities to grant access to humanitarian agencies.

The international community must act urgently. In the United Kingdom — from Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson down — we have been impressed by Indonesia’s leadership. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi have worked hard to build common ground in the region. But the situation is desperate and the time for bold leadership is now. 

In New York, the United Nations Security Council has just issued a Presidential Statement on Myanmar — the first in more than 10 years. The Security Council expressed “grave concern over reports of human rights violations and abuses [...] including the systematic use of force and intimidation, killing of men, women and children, sexual violence, and including the destruction and burning of homes and property.”

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