The complexities of the issue in Rakhine State should not be used an excuse to retreat from finding a workable solution to this humanitarian crisis
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi while addressing the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday called for the international community to take emergency steps to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

She made the remarks while delivering her views during a meeting to discuss the latest situation in Rakhine on the sidelines of the UNGA session. The humanitarian situation in Rakhine has increasingly become a cause for major concern particularly after the failed repatriation of refugees from the border last August and due to the lack of confidence on the part of all elements to solve the crisis, she said.

"The complexities of the issue in Rakhine State should not be used an excuse to retreat from finding a workable solution to this humanitarian crisis," she said in a written statement released Wednesday.

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Minister Retno who has twice visited Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar since the crisis broke out, said that the main problem hindering the settlement of the humanitarian crisis is distrust at all levels up to the community in the refugee camp and the international community.

The important thing that must be done immediately is creating a conducive situation to restore the sense of mutual trust among all relevant elements, she said.

"This is what Indonesia and ASEAN have done since the beginning to settle the humanitarian situation in Rakhine State," she said.

At the meeting, Retno came up with two concrete proposals that may encourage the settlement of the humanitarian crisis. First, overcoming the emergency needs of the refugees and second, helping create sustainable peace through the development of the economy and empowerment of the people of Rakhine State.

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Translator: Yashinta Difa Pramudyani/Suhar
Editor: Sri Haryati
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