Arakan News Agency
Hundreds of Indonesians angered over the persecution of Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar have protested outside the Myanmar embassy in the Indonesian capital.
Jakarta police spokesman Awi Setiyono said at least 200 people joined the demonstration on Thursday. They marched in three groups to the embassy, which was guarded by dozens of police, and staged a noisy but peaceful protest.
The protesters, many of whom wore traditional white robes, held big banners reading, “Stop genocide against Muslims in Myanmar,” and shouted “Save Rohingya.”
High-definition satellite images analysed by Human Rights Watch show the destruction of some 1,250 buildings in five Rohingya villages in Arakan state, where the military is carrying out counter-insurgency operations.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, is a strong supporter of the Rohingya cause.
Police provide security at Myanmar Embassy during Rohingya solidarity rally
Hundreds of police officers have been deployed in areas around the Myanmar Embassy on Jl. Agus Salim, Central Jakarta, since Friday morning as thousands of people are expected to stage a peaceful rally to protest the oppression and killing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Security officers both in uniform and plain clothes have been readied to deal with any exigencies. Other personnel were seen managing traffic flow, although it remained quite un congested in the morning. Police trucks and heavy equipment were also seen in front of and near the embassy.
Several Islamic organizations including the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) plan to stage rallies in front of the embassy after Friday prayers around 1 p.m. The rally is also aimed at showing their solidarity toward the Rohingya Muslim community, who have been facing persistent oppression from Myanmar’s military.
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) executive director Kyaw Win said the Indonesian government must help address the Rohingya issue and should not only refer to what he said were false claims made by the Myanmar government.
“[Indonesia] should directly communicate with the Burmese government to raise this issue and tell them to stop [the violence]. Enough is enough,” he told the media on Friday.
The activist further said the non-interference policy adopted by Southeast Asian countries should not hinder Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country, from taking part in resolving the case, which was widely considered to be a humanitarian problem.
“We feel that we have never heard any voice [from Indonesia]. The worst thing is that, Indonesia has tended to refer [to the military’s] claims in Burma,” Kyaw Win said.
The Myanmar military has often delivered false and misleading information, claiming that Rohingya people had abandoned their houses and fled the country of their own will, he stated.
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said earlier that Indonesia was ready to cooperate with its international counterparts over Rakhine state, an area that housed many Muslims in Myanmar, including finding out the actual situation on the ground.
