The issue of Rohingnya, has existed for a long time. The impact of the conflict in Myanmar is also felt in Indonesia. This is because Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country. Therefore, the Indonesian government also gave its attention to resolve the humanitarian crisis that occurred in Myanmar.
The Rohingya conflict with the Military Junta has resulted in the escape of Rohingya Muslims to neighboring regions or countries, such as Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, Malaysia or Thailand to protect themselves from discriminatory treatment of the military junta. However, neighboring countries there are those who feel “welcome” and some are not receiving them, the refugees. The refusal of Bangladesh and other neighboring countries has forced the Rohingya Muslims to be forced to return to Myanmar.
The Myanmar government does not recognize Rohingya ethnic citizenship because it considers this group of Muslims not to be an ethnic group that existed in Myanmar from before Myanmar’s independence in 1948. This was reaffirmed by Myanmar’s President, Thein Sein, in Al Jazeera, July 29, 2012 that Myanmar is unlikely grant citizenship to the Rohingyas considered to be illegal immigrants and border crossers from Bangladesh.
Another root of conflict is the envy of the Rohingyas. Rohingya’s Muslim ethnic population has continued to rise in recent decades. This caused suspicion and jealousy in the majority ethnic Rakhine. The Rohingyas’ existence is thought to diminish land and economic rights, especially in Arakan, Rakhine, the center of Muslim life.
The Rohingyas case is one of the biggest cases of conflict in Myanmar’s history. This conflict began between the Rohingyas and the junta of the Millitary government. Some ASEAN countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, as a country with a majority Muslim population, also put pressure on Myanmar. Indonesia, through its foreign minister, encouraged Myanmar to give its legal status to the Rohingyas. The role of these ASEAN member countries is also a dilemma for them. Although, the need to intervene in the Rohingya case is a major need for conflict resolution. However, some ASEAN member countries that still have similar problems, related to respect for human rights and discrimination, are also worried when such a problem becomes an exception to the application of the principle of nonintervention and thus arises to the fear of intervention in the country. ASEAN warned over Myanmar government’s refusal to give legal status to Rohingyas.
Since the reign of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), Indonesia has made several approaches to reduce the suffering experienced by ethnic Rohingyas. However, it still needs “soft dyplomacy” so that Myanmar immediately solve the problems faced. This is because of the last few days, the conflict between the military junta and the Rohingyas came back up.
Many criticized the actions of the military junta against the Rohingyas. The Indonesian government, of course, does not remain silent. Currently negotiations are being made with Rohingya ethnic refugee countries in the form of providing assistance to countries that are the ethnic Rohingyas to escape away from Myanmar’s military junta. For example, to Bangladesh, this is because as many as 123,600 Rohingnya have crossed the border with the purpose of Bangladesh.
Therefore, as a form of empathy for the problems faced by the ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar, must unite to work together in providing assistance to the ethnic Rohingya by not damaging the peace and peace of the Indonesian nation. This is because the nation of Indonesia is a plural nation that recognizes the motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.
)* The author is CIDISS Contributor