A Rohingya refugee carries a child as they arrive in the Bangladeshi town of Teknaf, traveling through Lomba Beel after crossing the Naf River, on Sept. 7. Some 164,000 refugees, mostly Rohingya, have crossed into Bangladesh in the last two weeks to escape fighting between militants and Myanmar\'s military, the United Nations said on Thursday. The latest figures means that more than a quarter of a million Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar since fighting first broke out in October 2015, plunging Bangladesh into the middle of its neighbor’s humanitarian crisis.
DHAKA, KOMPAS – Amid the huge influx of Rakhine refugees to a number of countries, the humanitarian mission to resolve the Rakhine crisis is continuing. As a follow-up to Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi’s meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Indonesian representatives in Dhaka meet with local authorities to discuss Indonesia’s support. The meeting was held on Wednesday (6/9/2017) afternoon in Dhaka.
Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Rina P Soemarno said in a text message on Wednesday evening that Bangladesh had responded positively to Indonesia’s offer. The Bangladeshi government had detailed its needs. “However, the list is not yet final, as they will visit the location on Friday. They will update the list of needs after the visit,” Rina said.
The move is part of Indonesia’s humanitarian diplomacy in response to the crisis in Rakhine. The follow-up by the two states is part of a comprehensive solution offered by Indonesia to the Rakhine crisis. Indonesia believes that helping Bangladesh is necessary, as the country is the main destination for refugees from Rakhine.
Humanitarian mission
Since the attack by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on August 25, 164,000 people in northern Rakhine have been affected by the conflict. Many of them are of the Rohingya ethnicity that flooded the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Many of the refugees are housed in camps crowded with refugees from previous conflicts.
Indonesia’s humanitarian diplomacy has gained widespread support, including from Europe, Iran and ASEAN countries. From Tehran, it was reported that the Iranian Red Crescent said on Thursday (7/9) that it had prepared aid packages for the Rohingya people in Rakhine. “Emergency packages, food, medicine and sanitation has been prepared to be sent to Myanmar,” said Iranian Red Crescent chair Morteza Salimi.
He added the aid packages would be sent once the organization secured a permit from the Myanmar government. The move, Salimi said, was a mandate from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The 40 tons in aid are valued at around US$100,000.
As many other countries, Iran is deeply concerned about the Rakhine crisis. Iranian authorities deplored Myanmar’s massive military operation in response to the ARSA attack in Maungdaw on August 25. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gholam Ali Khoshrou, said he was trying to gather ministers and diplomats of several Islamic countries to discuss the issue.
“I have contacted the ambassadors of Islamic countries in the last few days, and we have decided to form a group at the level of ambassadors and ministers,” Gholam said.
He said he hoped the group’s members would be able to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week. “Everyone must be involved in putting an end to this humanitarian crisis,” Gholam said.
Peace market
In Jakarta, the Indonesian Humanitarian Alliance for Myanmar (AKIM) announced plans to establish what it calls a peace market in Rakhine State. Muhammadiyah is one of AKIM’s 11 members.
Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) deputy chair Rahmawati Husein said that the commitment to build the market was part of the efforts to restore the local economy. Apart from that, the peace market could also serve as a medium for attempting reconciliation in Rakhine.
“Muhammadiyah will take the next step with the establishment of a peace market in Rakhine,” she said. The budget to build the market was taken from public donations collected through Muhammadiyah’s religious alms agency (Lazis).
Rahmawati explained that the peace market was planned after the MDMC had observed humanitarian conditions in Rakhine. The existing market is in a modest condition and in need of physical and management improvements.
The plan is to develop the peace market in Sittwe. Apart from developing the local economy, the market’s construction is believed to be a medium for spreading a campaign of peace organically and symbolically.
“The construction of the peace market is part of the effort to find a multifaceted short-term and long-term solutions for the Rohingya Muslims. The concept is in line with the recommendations of UN Special Envoy Kofi Annan and efforts of the Myanmarese government to establish a friendly market,” Rahmawati said.
In her visit to Sittwe in January, minister Retno said the peace market would be established in an area that is easily accessible by all Rakhine people, including Rohingya, Kaman and other Rakhine people. The construction of the market is part of the long-term solution to the communal conflict in Rakhine.
Disruption
In Surabaya, East Java, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said that there were groups attempting to abuse the humanitarian crisis faced by the Rohingya in Myanmar. The crisis was being used to gather strength to delegitimize the administration of President Joko Widodo.
Tito said that a software-supported analysis of social media showed that netizens’ comments on the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar were directed at President Joko Widodo, the Indonesian government and the Myanmarese government, among others. “The dominant [criticism] is related to the President and the Indonesian government,” Tito said after speaking at the International Conference on Contemporary Social and Political Affairs (ICOCSPA) at Airlangga University in Surabaya.
National Resilience Institute governor Agus Wijoyo said social media developments had to be monitored, as they might be used to spread misinformation and hoaxes that could provoke violence. Supervision, he said, was necessary to avoid social media from being used to incite violence.
