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ASEAN's concrete actions paramount to ending Rohingya's misery - Antara

Indonesia currently hosts over 900 human trafficking victims, who have become refugees on the high seas.

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar that have faced persecution at the hands of the Buddhist majority for decades. In fact, the UN reports show that Rohingya are the most persecuted minority in the world.
In May 2015, the Rohingya refugee crisis had grabbed international headlines when tens of thousands of Rohingya fled from genocide in Myanmar in overcrowded boats heading toward Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Facing a genocide in their hometown of Rakhine State, Myanmar, nearly one million of them fled to the neighboring country, Bangladesh, in 2017, and were accommodated in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, the biggest refugee camp in the world today. Their tragedy continues unabated, as the Rohingya refugee crisis has become a ripe ground for human trafficking since they were moved to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, which could be inundated by a single strike from a cyclone.

Prior to the 37th ASEAN Summit in November 2020, dozens of current and former lawmakers from across Southeast Asia urged the policy-making body to ensure that its actions bring about a positive and sustainable change that contribute to ending the cycle of violence and displacement of Rohingya in Rakhine.

"While we welcome ASEAN playing a proactive role in the Rakhine crisis, there is so much more it can do to help bring it towards a resolution," an Indonesian MP and board member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) Mercy Barends noted in a statement last November.

"It is time for the ASEAN to articulate a coordinated and long-term strategy that addresses the root causes of this crisis. Failure to do so will risk causing further harm and suffering for the Rohingya and all other communities in Rakhine," Barends emphasized.

Furthermore, an escalating armed conflict between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military endangers the safety of thousands of civilians from all communities, the MPs pointed out. In their open letter, the lawmakers put forth several recommendations to the ASEAN on playing a proactive and positive role in resolving the crisis, including by promoting transparency in its decisions and ensuring meaningful consultation with the Rohingya and refugee communities, as well as with civil society actors.

"Until now, the ASEAN has allowed the Myanmar government to dictate the terms of its engagement on the Rakhine issue, but this week’s ASEAN Summit presents the perfect opportunity to change course and use its political leverage with the Myanmar government to push for measures that bring meaningful change on the ground in Rakhine State," Barends affirmed.

"We urge the ASEAN to develop a strategy that listens to the people most impacted by this crisis, and most importantly, one that abides by the principle of ‘Do No Harm,'" Barends stated.

Speaking at the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi specifically drew attention to the issue of Rohingya refugees as a form of organized human smuggling and trafficking in the region. Marsudi re-emphasized the criticality of addressing the root causes of the Rohingya crisis through voluntary, safe, and dignified repatriation.

“For Indonesia, Myanmar is home to Rohingya refugees,” Marsudi stated//ANT