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Jakarta Post

Call for sanctions against Myanmar

With the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar unabated, Indonesian interfaith figures have called on the government to take stronger action against Yangon for its failure to address the persecution against its minority group

Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, September 23, 2017

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Call for sanctions against Myanmar

W

ith the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar unabated, Indonesian interfaith figures have called on the government to take stronger action against Yangon for its failure to address the persecution against its minority group.

The call was made amid fears that radical groups in the nation with the largest Muslim population are exploiting the Rohingya issue to advance their interests.

Leaders of Indonesia’s six official religions — Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism — gathered at the Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board (PBNU) office on Friday to reassert their unity in calling for the government and the global community to end the plight of the Rohingya.

They expressed their disappointment over the persisting widespread persecution of Rohingya people, which had largely happened under the nose of the Myanmar government.

Confucian Supreme Council of Indonesia (Matakin) chairman Uung Sendana said Indonesia could push for the international community to impose sanctions on Myanmar if the country kept doing nothing to address the violence against Rohingya Muslims.

“If [Myanmar] showed no efforts to stop the violence, the country could be sanctioned [...] through the UN or the International Criminal Court for human rights violations,” Uung told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the event.

However, Uung went on to say that he still had hopes for Myanmar to take action to improve the situation, adding that he expected the Indonesian government would also continue efforts to provide humanitarian relief for the Rohingya minority.

Meanwhile, the chairman of PBNU, Indonesia’s largest Islamic group, Said Aqil Siradj, particularly criticized Myanmar’s State Counsellor and Nobel Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to take the stance of siding with the minority group, who have had their human rights deprived.

“If the violence persists, Indonesia could just threaten to recall its ambassador [for Myanmar],” Siradj said.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has reported that more than 420,000 people, most of whom are Rohingya Muslims, have fled the Buddhist-majority nation and crossed the border into Bangladesh territory since Aug. 24, following a military crackdown in what the UN has called a campaign of “ethnic cleansing.”

In response to the escalation of violence, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo immediately sent Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on a peace-brokering mission to meet Suu Kyi in order to urge the Myanmar government to restore order in Rakhine state.

While the six religious figures applauded the government’s swift diplomatic actions and fast response in sending 34 tons of humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazaar, including rice, tents, staple food and sanitation supplies, they agreed that Indonesia needed to do more in its efforts to mediate peace.

The Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) secretary for Interfaith Relations, Agustinus Ulahayanan, acknowledged that Indonesia’s diplomacy in Myanmar is difficult, especially due to internal conflicts in the latter, including between the government and resistance groups in Rakhine. “I hope that the government can keep pushing for the Myanmar govermment to allow access [to the Rakhine state] for humanitarian relief to enter,” Agustinus said, adding that Indonesia should also keep engaging Myanmar in dialogues to handle the Rakhine state issue with care and humanity.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Buddhists Association (Walubi) executive Suhadi Senjaya said the organization had cooperated with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) to build a public hospital in Rakhine state. “We have also raised funds in every temple to be sent to help the Rohingya people in Myanmar,” he said.

On Thursday, Jakarta-based humanitarian body Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT), an Indonesian group concerned with the Rohingya crisis, sent 80 containers carrying 2,000 tons of rice from Surabaya to Bangladesh. The dispatch of humanitarian relief was also watched by Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa.

Prior to the aid provided on Sept. 21, ACT had also sent 12 tons of staple foods, including flour, cooking oils and sugar, as well as provided a team of six doctors comprising Indonesian and Bangladeshi nationals at the refugee camp, ACT communication and media manager Lukman Azis Kurniawan said.

“We are planning to build 1,000 shelters similar to the ones that we built in Aceh. We have prepared the design and they will be ICS-integrated community shelters,” Lukman told the Post.

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