"There should be no more casualties of civilians, in particular," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News)- The Indonesian Government has expressed hope that the Government of Myanmar would prioritize humanitarian aspects to prevent casualties in dealing with conflicts in Rakhine State, home to Rohingya ethnic minorities.

"There should be no more casualties of civilians, in particular," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi told the press in the presidential palace here on Tuesday.

She urged all conflicting parties to exercise restraint and avoid violence that could worsen the security situation.

Security and protection are humanitarian necessities that should be inclusively provided to every community in Rakhine State.

The minister called U Thaung Tun, Myanmars National Security Advisor, on Tuesday morning to coordinate about the ongoing situation in Rakhine State.

"While talking to the National Security Advisor, I emphasized that Indonesia remains committed to cooperating and providing assistance to the Myanmar Government in dealing with the situation or in developing Rakhine State inclusively," Marsudi stated.

In its latest report on Sunday, the office of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi noted that the death toll from the clashes between security forces and Rohingya rebels, which started on Thursday, has reached 96, which not only included alleged Rohingya attackers but also 12 security personnel, Aljazeera reported.

Myanmars government has accused armed men from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) of carrying out the deadly attack on police outposts, which sparked the latest violence.

Since the violence erupted, thousands of Rohingyas have fled towards Bangladesh, but authorities there have refused to let most of them in.

Bangladesh has detained and forcibly returned at least 90 Muslim Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, as thousands of civilians from the ethnic minority area, on the other side of the border, attempt to escape from continuing violence that has killed scores of people.

At least 20 Rohingyas were caught on Sunday and sent back after crossing the Naf River, a natural border between Myanmar and Bangladesh, Ariful Islam, a commander with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), told AFP news agency. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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