Indonesia to help BD over Rohingya issue

Staff Correspondent: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Tuesday expressed her country’s readiness to help Bangladesh “ease burden” on it over the Rohingya issue.

She said they will continue to discuss with Bangladesh about what sort of support Indonesia can provide in this regard.

“This humanitarian crisis shall be ended,” she said in a statement before the media in a city hotel wrapping up her less than 10-hour visit to Dhaka.

Earlier, Retno held meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmood Ali.

She said they discussed the current situation on the ground “in depth” and conveyed her country’s sympathy to Bangladesh over the refugee issues.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister arrived at 12:10 pm by a flight of Thai Airways and is scheduled to depart at 10:00 pm by a flight of Singapore Airlines.

As of now, around 123,000 Myanmar people -- mostly women and children -- entered Bangladesh after the attacks on police and army bases in Rakhine on August 25 and the Myanmar military began a crackdown.

The Indonesian minister earlier in December last visited Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar and discussed with Bangladesh authorities for finding a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis.

In Myanmar, Indonesia has submitted a proposal to Myanmar named ‘Formula 4 + 1’ for Rakhine State to restore peace and allowing immediate access to humanitarian assistance there.

These four elements consist of (i) restoring stability and security; (ii) maximum restraint and non-violence; (iii) protection to all persons in the Rakhine State, regardless of race and religion; and (iv) the importance of immediate access to humanitarian assistance.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi had a meeting with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar’s capital on Monday and placed the proposal.


risingbd/Dhaka/September 05, 2017/Rafiq/A K Azad