REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia could sponsor an international conference on Rohingya to find a solution to the problems of the ethnic group in Myanmar, Chief of the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) Yusril Ihza Mahendra proposed.

"To settle the human tragedy faced by the Rohingya ethnic group, we should not only deal with Rohingya refugees, but also take joint political and diplomatic steps to pressure Myanmar into settling their domestic problem," he said in a written statement released on Saturday (24/5).

Mahendra, who is also a state administrative law expert, said the people and government of Myanmar tend to discriminate against ethnic minorities in the country, either the Rohingya, who are Muslim, or the Karen, who are Catholics.

The discrimination violates the principles of humanity and is a denial of pluralism in the modern world, he noted.

"But in the past three decades, the military government of Myanmar has turned a blind eye to violence against the ethnic group in the country," Mahendra said.

He further also called upon both ASEAN and the international community to take diplomatic, political and economic steps to put pressure on Myanmar.

Also, as the largest country in Southeast Asia, Indonesia could sponsor an international conference on Rohingya to seek a solution to the discrimination faced by the ethnic group in Myanmar.

"The conference might serve to provide strong political pressure on the government of Myanmar to settle the domestic question of the Rohingya ethnic group," he said.

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority living in northern Arakan-Rakhine State in western Myanmar. They have faced severe persecution and violence at the hands of the state and national governments for decades.

There are approximately 1.33 million Rohingya in Myanmar, but the country's 1982 Citizenship Law denies them citizenship, in spite of the fact that the Rohingya community has lived in Myanmar for generations.

Further, Myanmar President Thein Sein claims the Rohingya are not a Myanmar ethnic group, calling them "Bengali", instead. Labeling the Rohingya "Bengali" is a discriminatory, xenophobic way of erroneously implying that Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The Rohingya has once again come under the spotlight, after some 600 Rohingya asylum seekers from Myanmar were reportedly stranded on the coast of North Aceh recently.

They are currently being sheltered in the western-most Indonesian province of Aceh.

The presence of the Rohingya refugees has become a cause for concern, with several organizations, including the Islamic Youth Movement (GPI) in Tanjungbalai city, North Sumatra, raising funds to assist them.

GPI spokesman Adrian Sulin said on Saturday that the fundraising was motivated by concern for Rohingya refugees currently in Langsa, Nangroe Aceh Darussalam.

"We will directly donate funds to the Rohingya refugees in Langsa," Adrian said, adding that in addition to the funds, the group will also hand out used clothing to the refugees.

Also, on Wednesday Vice President Jusuf Kalla said food and other assistance will be provided to Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees in Indonesia.

"We will attend to all humanitarian needs of the refugees," he said.

The vice president stated that the government had agreed to house the refugees, but said it also required international cooperation in dealing with the issue.

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