Diplomatic and Mltilateral Approach Needed to Settle Rohingya Case

Jakarta - Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra said that the Indonesian government can use a diplomatic and multilateral approach in assisting Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic case. "Our government should be more active. Use Indonesia's approach model that is persuasive and inclusive diplomatic approaches to Myanmar who is now under the democratization process," said Azyumardi here Thursday. According to Azyumardi by using persuasive and inclusive approach, Indonesia can play a role without having to set Myanmar aside. "If using the exclusive approach like the Americans by imposing sanctions, it will be ineffective," he said. "Just like in the Bali Democracy Forum that I was involved where Indonesia was able to persuade Myanmar to be a more open country," he added. Azyumardi also considered necessary to take special measures to resolve the Rohingya case, aside from appeals that had been undertaken by the Indonesian government. "We have been making appeals all this time, and now I think the Foreign Affairs Ministry needs to establish a task force." he said. Old tension between the Buddhist ethnic Rakhine and the Muslim Rohingya has escalated again at Myanmar's Rakhine region in July resulting in a series of fires and attacks that had claimed 77 lives and more than 100 were injured, said the Myanmar government. The unrest has impacted the Rohingya and Rakhine ethnic groups, but the human rights groups have accused police and soldiers of using disproportionately force and arresting Muslim Rohingya people after the riots. (*)