The exodus of an estimated half a million of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim inhabitants from their former homes in the country’s Rakhine State has created not just an enormous humanitarian crisis but also strained political tension with neighboring countries like Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Since the Rohingya first started fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh in late August due to what has been described by the UN as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” by the Burmese military and government, protesters in Jakarta have mounted violent demonstrations at the Myanmar embassy and hardliners from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) have volunteered to fight for their Muslim brothers and sisters in Rakhine.
The Indonesian government helped defuse some tensions by forbidding a protest against Myanmar that was set to take place at Borobudur, the country’s ancient Buddhist temple and iconic UNESCO World Heritage site. But Indonesia’s foreign ministry has made efforts to intervene on behalf of the Rohingya with the Burmese government and offered aid to Bangladesh to assist in their reception of Rohingya refugees.
The Burmese government rebuffed Indonesia’s urging for an end to the violence (as they have always maintained that any military actions were targeted only at “terrorist” forces in the area) but they have accepted Indonesia’s offers of humanitarian aid to Rakhine State, including the government’s offer to build a hospital there, construction on which officially began yesterday.
According to Indonesia’s foreign ministry, the hospital, which is being built in Rakhine’s Myaung Bwe province, is being built with a budget of US$1.8 million and should be completed by the middle of next year.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said the costs of construction were being provided by the government as well as contributions from various NGOs and the private sector. Construction will be done by local contractors and with materials supplied from Myanmar.
“Once completed, the Indonesian Hospital will be inclusive, regardless of background, ethnicity or religion, for all local people,” Arrmanatha said as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi had been set to attend the hospital’s groundbreaking ceremony but had to cancel because, according to a release from her ministry, there was no guarantee of security provided by the Myanmar military. The ceremony was instead attended by Indonesian Ambassador to Myanmar Ito Sumardi as well as members of the local government and community leaders from the Buddhist and Islamic communities.
In 2014, Indonesia provided US$1 million for the construction of four schools in Rakhine. Minister Retno attended the opening of two of those schools in December 2016.
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