REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Police Chief General Tito Karnavian is set to meet his Myanmar counterpart during the 37th ASEAN National Police (Aseanapol Conference to be held in Singapore from Sept 12 to 14 to discuss humanitarian crisis in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
"I will ask for time to hold a bilateral meeting with the chief of the Myanmar police to discuss the Rohingya crisis during the Aseanpol Conference on Tuesday," he stated here on Saturday.
At the meeting, Tito noted that he would share Indonesia's experiences in handling armed groups with the Myanmar police chief.
"We see that the Indonesian government has issued a statement (on the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar). We also see that (Foreign) Minister Retno (Marsudi) has been sent there. The diplomatic talks are far more effective. In principle, the police support the government's steps," he added.
"In addition, 11 Indonesian institutions have also sent humanitarian aid," he noted.
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Tito remarked that he was concerned about the conflict and expressed hope that communication with the leadership of the Myanmar police will prevent more civilians from falling victims to the conflict in the future.
"As a Muslim, I am concerned about the issue," he stated.
Experts have revealed that the Rohingya conflict in Myanmar appears to be a multidimensional crisis, with major geopolitical players involved, including internal and external reasons behind the recent upsurge in violence in the country.
Clashes in Rakhine broke out again in Aug 2017 after a militant group, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, was reported to have claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks on police and army posts in which more than a 100 people died.
Fighting between the military and insurgents drove thousands of Rohingyas to Myanmar's border with Bangladesh, as government troops opened fire on civilians.
In Oct 2016, a series of attacks on security posts along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border triggered another outbreak of ethnic violence in Rakhine.
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