"(Holding) the rally at Borobudur is prohibited! I have ordered the Central Java Police to not give them permission," General Karnavian stated.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian has banned a planned rally on the Rohingya crisis to be held at the Borobudur Temple by several mass organizations on September 8, 2017.

"(Holding) the rally at Borobudur is prohibited! I have ordered the Central Java Police to not give them permission," General Karnavian stated at the Police Headquarters, here, Tuesday.

He noted that the Borobudur Buddhist Temple does not belong to a certain faith, but it is an Indonesian historical heritage and a major tourist destination.

The oppression of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority in Rakhine State, Myanmar, has nothing to do with a certain religion, he remarked.

"It is not a religious problem. Here, Walubi (Indonesias Buddhist Association) and Buddhist groups have taken a stern stance. They have condemned the Myanmar government and provided aid for the Rohingya community," he said.

The tragedy in Rakhine is a problem between the government and ethnic minority. The government alleges that it is being attacked by the ethnic minority, Karnavian pointed out.

"I urge the public to be more cautious. This issue has been used more to provoke the sentiments of the Muslims in Indonesia to trigger a sense of antipathy towards the government," he added.

Several mass organizations plan to hold a rally on "Action to Defend Rohingya Muslims" at the yard of the Borobudur Temple. They call the planned rally "A Movement of One Million Muslims to Surround Borobudur Temple."

Meanwhile, thousands of people held a rally in front of the office of East Java Governor Grahadi, in Surabaya, East Java, Tuesday, to protest against the Rohingya ethnic cleansing by the Myanmar regime.

Various members of the community, including women, youth, religious figures, and professionals, participated in the rally.

"What has been happening against the Rohingya ethnic minority is a real tragedy, disaster, and crime against humanity," M. Arifan, coordinator of the Humanitarian Action Committee, stated.

The protestors urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to pressure Myanmar into stopping the genocide on the Rohingya ethnic minority.

The committee also urged the Nobel Committee to revoke the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Myanmars de-facto leader Augn San Suu Kyi, who is viewed as not being serious in solving the crisis in Rakhine State, home to over one million Rohingya people.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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