ASEAN has been urged to act firmly, progressively and comprehensively in the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Myanmar has been advised to put its trust in ASEAN members to actively engage in helping manage the repatriation of the Rohingya.
By
BENNY DWI KOESTANTO
·4 minutes read
AFP/JEWEL SAMAD
A group of leaders pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of the 33rd ASEAN Summit (from left), Malaysia\'s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Vietnam\'s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Singapore\'s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia\'s President Joko Widodo and Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Singapore on Nov. 13, 2018.
SINGAPORE, KOMPAS — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been urged to act firmly, progressively and comprehensively in the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Myanmar has been advised to put its trust in ASEAN members to actively engage in helping manage the repatriation of the Rohingya.
The Indonesian government is among the countries actively pushing for a constructive resolution to the issue. The country made its latest push in the 18th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting, held as part of the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore on Tuesday (13/11/2018).
In the meeting led by Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakhrisnan, Indonesia was represented by Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto and Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi. After the meeting, Wiranto said ASEAN could help manage the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, adding that mutual trust between Myanmar and ASEAN was necessary to repatriation efforts.
“We are pushing for the best outcome. This is not about interfering in Myanmar’s domestic affairs. Instead, it is about pushing for peace. This is similar to us giving access to foreign aid during natural disasters,” Wiranto said when asked about whether the move would be in violation of ASEAN’s non-interference principle.
Solidarity
Separately, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo asked ASEAN member countries to take part in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine state, Myanmar. The President said that the commitment of all ASEAN member countries was necessary in maintaining peace and prosperity in the region. “The Rakhine humanitarian crisis has yet to be resolved. The crisis has generated international concern and an erosion of trust. As part of the big family, Indonesia really hopes that a progressive move will be made to resolve this humanitarian crisis,” he said.
The President added that he was worried that the humanitarian crisis, if neglected, would have negative impacts on both Myanmar and ASEAN.
“Indonesia is ready! I believe that ASEAN is also ready to help the Myanmar government create a safe condition in Rakhine state, in which freedom of movement is respected, discrimination is eliminated and inclusive development is carried out,” he said. “I hope details of the mandate for and the mechanisms on how ASEAN and the AHA Centre [ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management] can be finished soon.”
Minister Retno said that ASEAN wished to be part of the solution to the crisis that had befallen the Rohingya minority in Myanmar.
Draft statement
Reuters reported that, in a draft statement that it had reviewed, ASEAN said the situation in Rakhine state was a “matter of concern”. Referring to the statement, Reuters said ASEAN member countries would call for those responsible for atrocities in Myanmar’s Rakhine state to be held “fully accountable”.
The draft statement repeated ASEAN’s previous calls on the importance of the repatriation process but went further in calling for accountability for the alleged atrocities.
Reuters said that it was Vivian who initiated the strengthening of rhetoric. A source close to pre-summit discussions said that Singapore was leaning toward a stronger stance because as the host of the summit, it wanted to protect its credibility. It was not clear if all members of the group would back the stern statement.
Pelita Harapan University international politics professor Aleksius Jumadi said he believed ASEAN would not want to damage its image, especially over the Rohingya issue. He said the group would maintain the "ASEAN Way". “It will remain firm on the Rohingya issue but will not issue any sharp rebuke or isolate Myanmar,” Aleksius said.
For ASEAN, any rebuke or isolation of Myanmar would be counterproductive, especially concerning ASEAN’s solidarity and centrality.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) senior researcher Adriana Elisabeth said she believed that ASEAN would do nothing more that repeat its previous calls. “Who wants to take the concrete burden of the issue? Who is willing to do what, exactly?” Adriana said.
