Opposing rights violations: Supporters and sympathizers of the National Mandate Party's (PAN) youth wing Barisan Muda PAN stage a rally to protest the state-sponsored persecution of the Rohingya people in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta on Sept.4. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)

In response to the widespread persecution of Rohingya Muslim minority people in Rakhine state, Myanmar, the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI) has called on the Indonesian government to initiate a conflict resolution process for Myanmar in ASEAN.

"We hope Indonesia can be the initiator of a conflict resolution process among ASEAN countries to help the Rohingya people. ASEAN countries should not close their eyes to the rights violations against Rohingya Muslims," ICMI secretary-general Mohammad Jafar Hafsah said on Monday.

He is of the opinion that most countries have tended to ignore or been slow to respond to the killing and persecution of the Muslim minority people in Myanmar.

Jafar expected that Indonesia, as the country with the world's largest Muslim population, would take a decisive approach to help end the prolonged conflict.

The state sponsored violence has caused many Rohingya people to suffer serious human rights violations, including torture, rape and the destruction of religious property.

Rohingya Muslims have been forced to leave Myanmar and have been declared as stateless, however Myanmar's neighboring countries have mostly refused to accept them as refugees.

Jafar urged other countries to accept the Rohingya refugees and not to ask the people to go back to Myanmar. "We really regret what has happened in Myanmar. This is clearly a human rights violation," he said. (ebf)

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Nurul Fitri Ramadhani

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