T

he government received support from the Indonesian public to help Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority by providing aid focused on education, medical assistance and relief.

The Indonesia Humanitarian Alliance for Myanmar (AKIM) has collected US$2 million from Indonesians to help the Rohingya in Myanmar. The funds will be distributed in various forms in the near future.

Alliance head Muhammad Ali Yusuf said on Thursday that the assistance would be distributed within two years through the newly founded program, Humanitarian Assistance for a Sustainable Community (HASCO), which was officially launched by Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi in Pejambon, Central Jakarta.

“The money will be used to train medical staff, rebuild markets in damaged areas and other programs, with the main purpose being to meet the basic needs of the people,” she told reporters.

The humanitarian crisis in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine state reached another low on Aug. 25 as militants from the Arakan Rohingnya Salvation Army (ARSA) staged coordinated attacks on 30 police posts and an army base. The Myanmar military then hit back with clashes involving hundreds of Rohingya insurgents across northern Rakhine state on Sunday.

The crackdown left many militants dead. Twelve members of Myanmar’s security forces and several civilians were also reportedly killed. Recent data suggest that more than 400 people in total have died, Reuters reported.

Another 40,000 Rohingya, many sick and some with bullet wounds, have fled Rakhine State, while thousands more remain trapped at the border of Bangladesh or are struggling to reach it.

The crackdown is the latest involving the Rohingya people, who for decades have faced persecution from the government of Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which refuses to recognize them as citizens.

Retno, who is ready to visit Myanmar very soon, reaffirmed the Indonesian government’s stance in urging Myanmar to restore security and stability in Rakhine state in light of the deteriorating conditions in the area.

She also deplored the deadly Aug. 25 insurgent attacks, emphasizing that in the future violence should be avoided.

“Indonesia urges every party to apply maximum self-restraint and avoid any form of violence [in Rakhine state],” she told reporters.

Retno added that the Indonesian government would build a hospital in Rakhine State, the permit for which had been issued by the Myanmar authorities. The hospital construction is expected to begin in October. Indonesia has also built six schools and continues to distribute medical assistance in the area.

Retno said she hoped the government of Myanmar could provide protection to everyone in the country, regardless of faith or racial origin, and especially in Rakhine State.

She said that last week she had delivered the message by phone call to Myanmar’s National Security Advisor.

“I have also called the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, because a better relationship between Myanmar and Bangladesh would provide a huge contribution toward resolving the situation in Rakhine,” she said.