INDONESIA SEEKS INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENT TO SOLVE ROHINGYA ISSUE

Jakarta, May 20 (Antara) - Indonesia has sought international commitment for handling Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and also the refugees from Bangladesh, so that a single country does not have to shoulder the responsibility. Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla put forth the request for the international community's commitment over the issue at a meeting with the UNHCR representative at his office here on Wednesday, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, the deputy of the vice presidential secretariat in charge of political affairs, stated after the meeting. She noted that if all the refugees were given shelter and no aid was provided by the international community, it would burden Indonesia and would be unfair if all the responsibility was stacked on one country. Meanwhile, rejecting them would lead to a dilemma, as the country would be accused of being cruel and ignoring humanitarian principles, she pointed out. UNHCR representative Thomas Vargas revealed that he had a good discussion with the vice president, and the UNHCR had stressed on the importance of countries to offer help to the refugees. Moreover, he remarked that the countries must also shoulder the responsibility and cooperate to overcome the problem, adding that the UNHCR has so far been cooperating with various partners in the field. "It is very important to help first and then provide adequate solutions," he stated. The United Nations on Tuesday urged Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand to conduct an operation to save refugees who are still adrift at sea and allow them to land. According to the UNHCR, around four thousand refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh are still struggling to survive on their boats with limited food supply. Half of them have been drifting at sea for 40 days, crammed in five boats near the coastlines of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The UNHCR, in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Office for Human Rights, have urged Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand to stop turning back refugees who were entering their territories. The Indonesian, Malaysian, and Thai governments must provide effective landing facilities and adequate humanitarian aid, the three organizations have appealed. They stated that the Southeast Asian countries must also formulate a selection procedure to identify immigrants who need protection as asylum seekers.