Like a good host, for two days President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cordially welcomed, entertained and then bid farewell to Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein during a stay here earlier this week. The two leaders touched on democracy, the plight of the Rohingya refugees and economic cooperation with the prim protocol of state diplomacy.

Meanwhile, some 2,000 kilometers away, hundreds of Rohingya refugees are oblivious to the protocols applied by a regime which made them stateless and forced them to take refuge and become stranded in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Aceh.

The bilateral talks between the two leaders may have strengthened relations between the two governments. But it is doubtful it has reassured the concerns of the peoples the two leaders are supposed to represent.

Out of a desire to maintain decorum, diplomatic protocol and solidarity, Indonesia and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are becoming stooges for a regime bent on political despotism.

While we do not advocate an antagonistic line in relations with the Myanmar junta, Indonesia, as a founding and the largest member of ASEAN, cannot forever bury itself in a quagmire of pleasantries. Such a stance only perpetuates an ominous vulnerability.

The case of the Rohingya refugees is a clear case in point of how the repression of indigenous residents is creating tribulations for all countries in the region.

The plight of the Rohingya is symptomatic of the chronic problems faced by Myanmar. Stripped of their statehood, citizenship and rights, these people are left with little recourse but to abandon their land in search of new hope.

The response of neighboring ASEAN states has been pitiful at best. Often the reaction was neither a reprieve nor a resolution, but one of arrogance, as reports of refoulement increased with the growing number of refugees.

We are heartened that Indonesia has been open to providing a safe port of temporary refuge for these people.

We cannot commend enough the charitable compassion shown by Indonesians toward the Rohingya who have landed on Indonesian shores. It is heartening to hear gatherings such as the Aceh Blogger Community and student groups band together to collect donations for these refugees.

We urge the Indonesia government and the Aceh administration to extend food and care to these people for the duration of their temporary stay. It would be a violation of international refugee and maritime law if we fail to grant safe harbor to refugees in distress.

Let us show that, despite its association with the Myanmar regime, Indonesia has not lost its fundamental humanitarian spirit of solidity with the people of Southeast Asia, be they considered stateless or otherwise.

While we are hopeful, we do not necessarily share the same confidence as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who said during his meeting with Gen. Thein Sein that a “practical solution” can be found on the issue. Nor are we assured that the Bali Process can be effective in resolving this particular issue.

The Bali Process was designed to deal with transnational crime, human trafficking and smuggling. Any solution to the Rohingya issue needs recognition of human and indigenous rights, something which the Bali Process lacks.

For Indonesia to impose such a solution is indicative of a government that simply wants to usher away a nuisance from its doorstep without a care for the underlying problems itself.

The Rohingya issue is but one of many tribulations which will come to our door if Jakarta continues to capitulate to the Myanmar regime on questions of protection of fundamental individual rights and political openness.

We support the “quiet diplomacy” which our diplomats say is more effective in dealing with countries like Myanmar. But “quiet” should not translate into “complacent”.

Quiet but forceful diplomacy should be the recourse from this day onward.

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