"ASEAN should intervene on the Rohingya dispute in Myanmar, especially to help refugees in seeking accommodation," Kalla said.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Jusuf Kalla, one of the founders of the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council (APRC), said that ASEAN should help settle the Rohingya dispute in Myanmar through the resolution.
"ASEAN should intervene on the Rohingya dispute in Myanmar, especially to help refugees in seeking accommodation," Kalla said after the APRC ambassadorial meeting here on Wednesday.
The APRC was formed by a number of prominent figures, including former Thai deputy prime minister Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, former Indonesian vice-president, Jusuf Kalla, Jose Ramos-Horta, former head of state of Timor-Leste, Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi, former prime ministerof Malaysia, and Professor Shunmugam Jayakumar, former deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Singapore.
Additionally, Kalla also stated that ASEAN should persuade Myanmar`s officials in effort to solve the conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim community in the state of Rakhine.
"The first party that should be responsible on the Rohingya dispute is Myanmar. They cannot simply cast out the Rohingya refugees," Jusuf Kalla said.
According to him, in order to solve the problem on Rohingya, Myanmar should pursue diplomatic efforts without deploying military forces.
In the last couple of months, casualties as a result of violence in Rakhine reached 140 with thousands more fleeing from their homes.
Refugees have evacuated themselves to nearby Thailand, Indonesia and several other countries in South East Asia to sought refuge.
The United Nation has also urged Myanmar`s neighboring countries to open their borders for people who are escaping the violence.
The Myanmarese government considers as many as 800,000 Rohingya people as illegal immigrants, despite the Rohingya advocates` statement that their ancestors had settled in the area for centuries.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
