Indonesia, US Highlight Rohingya Refugees Issue at UNGA High-Level Week

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United States will deliver additional humanitarian aid amounting to US$116 million for Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the surrounding region to support Rohingya refugees, U.S. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said on Thursday, September 21.

This additional funding brings a total of US$2.2 billion in aid from the US to those affected by the crisis in Myanmar since August 2017, when more than 740,000 Rohingyans flew from the threats of genocide in Rakhine, Blinked said as reported by Reuters.

The Rohingya refugees issue was also discussed during the side event of UNGA High-Level Week with the theme of "Have they Forgotten Us? Ensuring Continued Global Solidarity with the Rohingya of Myanmar" in New York, this Thursday, September 21, 2023. The event was co-sponsored by Bangladesh, Indonesia, Canada, the Gambia, Malaysia, Turkey, the UK, and the US.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi highlighted the uncertainty faced by Rohingya, exacerbated by the crisis in Myanmar. "The global and domestic situation in Myanmar intensifies the complexity and difficulty of this issue, thus necessitates the strong political commitment to resolve the problem," she said as quoted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official website.

During the meeting, Minister Retno delivered two action plans to support the Rohingya refugees, the first was pushing for a political solution. "Rohingya is a humanitarian issue with strong political ties. Thus, the only way out for Rohingya is through a political solution," she said.

Resolving the issues in Rohingya has to be an indivisible and integrated part of the solution to the political crisis in Myanmar. Retno stated that the inclusive five-point consensus initiated by ASEAN needs to cover this issue as well. Retno also stated the importance of voluntary, secure, and humane repatriation of Rohingya people.

The second point delivered by Minister Retno was the availability of humanitarian aid. "Presently, more than one million Rohingya people are displaced and become refugees, while those still reside in Rakhine also face a dire situation. They are at risk of becoming a victim of organized crime," she said. Thus, she added, support from the international community is greatly needed.

"Currently, Rohingya people are crying in silence. Just because we can't hear their cries, we cannot remain silent," Minister Retno stressed at the end of her statement.

YUDONO YANUAR

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