Indonesian President Joko Widodo wants peaceful solution to Rohingya crisis

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is now in Bangladesh, has stressed finding a “peaceful solution” to the Rohingya crisis that has beset Bangladesh and drawn global attention.

He made the observation at a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday morning before setting out for Cox’s Bazar to visit Rohingya refugees in camps.

“The head of one of the ASEAN countries has come to Bangladesh and has gone (to visit Rohingyas). This is significant,” said Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque.

Widodo has arrived in Bangladesh on a two-day visit.

Bangladesh saw a Rohingya exodus after Myanmar’s army launched a crackdown on the Muslim community in Rakhine state on Aug 25 last year following insurgent attacks on security forces.

Bangladesh has since sheltered nearly 700,000 refugees.

The refugees’ tales of murder, loot, rapes and arson in their Rakhine villages have made headlines around the world.  

The meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka broadly discussed the Rohingya crisis, Haque told reporters.

“We hope Indonesia’s stance for the Rohingyas will remain unchanged at the United Nations,” he said.

Widodo has praised Hasina for sheltering nearly a million Rohingyas — both old and new — and providing them with necessary aid.