Indonesia for int’l efforts [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Indonesia for int’l efforts

Local December 21, 2016

Indonesia would make efforts along with Bangladesh to sensitise international communities to create congenial ambiance by stopping persecution of religious minority in Rakhine state of Myanmar, officials said after the Indonesian foreign minister’ visit in Dhaka on Tuesday.
About 34,000 Rohingya Muslims were forced to cross the border into Bangladesh in recent influx that began in the second week of October, according to a joint release issued by International Organisation for Migration and UNHCR on Tuesday.
The problems should be resolved ‘in the country of origin’, said Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi, who was in Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh to see first-hand the situation and condition of minority Muslims on Myanmar who recently entered Bangladesh.
She said that the steps being taken by the Myanmar government to resolve the problems inclusively in Rakhine State needed to continue to be supported.
About 33,000 Myanmar nationals have been staying in the registered refugee camps run by the UN refugee agency at Kutupalang and Noapara and about 3-5 lakh have either taken shelter at unregistered camps in Cox’s Bazar or spread across the country.
Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali, state minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam, foreign secretary Md Shahidul Haque, IOM Bangladesh mission chief Sarat Dash, UNHCR Bangladesh country representative Shinji Kubo and Indonesian ambassador Iwan Wiranata-atmadja accompanied Retno Marsudi in her tour to Cox’s Bazar to see the developing crisis of civilians fleeing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
The high level delegates visited the registered refugee camp at Kutupalang and a makeshift settlement at Ukhia in Cox’s Bazar, where they met both with refugees and undocumented Myanmar nationals living here for many years. They also met those who had arrived since the violence erupted in early October.
The Indonesian minister also emphasised the need for strengthening relationships and increasing communications and coordination between Bangladesh and Myanmar in addressing the problem of people who crossed the border.
The condition of the refugees was quite alarming and the international community should be doing more to help them, said Retno Marsudi, who was the first top global diplomat who visited Myanmar nationals here.
She listened various narrations directly from the Myanmar Muslims about their ordeals in Rakhine state and travel experiences while crossing the borders.
The complexity of the problems in Rakhine State was seen from the stories and experiences of refugees, she said, adding that whatever the cause of their presence in the camp Kutupalang, ‘they live in very poor conditions, and as human beings we must work harder to help them.’
Retno Marsudi said that the limited budget and human resources from the Bangladesh government, UNHCR and IOM has been a challenge to meet need of the refugees.
She also called on prime minister Sheikh Hasina and joined a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmood Ali.
Retno Marsudi arrived in Dhaka from Yangon after foreign ministers’ meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations organised by the Myanmar government in an effort to reduce regional concerns over the situation in the northern part of Rakhine State.
Shinji Kubo encouraged Bangladesh to allow people to seek safety from the ongoing violence in Myanmar and have access to immediate safety and essential humanitarian assistance.
Sarat Dash hoped that the high-level visit would bring much-needed focus to the ‘forgotten crisis’ and speed the possibility of a political solution.
UNHCR and its partners work in the two registered refugee camps covering protection and basic needs for some 33,000 individuals.
IOM and its partners were reaching about 100,000 unregistered Myanmar nationals in providing healthcare, water and sanitation support, non-formal education and responses to sexual and gender-based violence.
New Age correspondent in Cox’s Bazar reported that two youths, who were shot at by Myanmar military, and three rape victims from Rakhine described their ordeals to the visiting dignitaries.
Some 65 Rohingya Muslims entered Bangladesh on Tuesday, while Border Guard Bangladesh foiled attempts of 72 Myanmar nationals to cross the border from Myanmar.