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Lawmaker calls for quick action in Rohingya case
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We shall overcome: Protesters gather in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta during a Rohingya solidarity rally on Nov. 25. (JP/Donny Fernando)
T
he Indonesian government must act quickly to help settle humanitarian problems in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where Rohingya Muslims are subjected to persistent persecution by the military, a lawmaker said on Monday.
“We urge the government to channel aid to the people in Rakhine state and to welcome its refugees, who are currently seeking shelter in Indonesia," House of Representatives defense and foreign affairs commission deputy chairwoman Meutya Hafid told The Jakarta Post.
The Golkar Party politician also demanded the government pressure other members of ASEAN and the United Nations to intervene, including by conducting an investigation in Rakhine, a Muslim-majority region in Myanmar.
On Friday, Indonesian Ambassador to ASEAN Rahmat Pramono said that ASEAN always championed dialogue as a means of resolving the issue, and such efforts were ongoing.
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) executive director Kyaw Win has said that Rohingya Muslims have long suffered from severe discrimination committed by the Myanmarese government.
He added that the Rohingya people had been shot, slaughtered and raped. Their houses had also been looted and burned.
The Rohingyas, who number about 1 million, are seen by many of Myanmar’s Buddhist majority as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Their right to citizenship has been denied despite having lived there for decades. (fac/hwa)
