Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO)

Thanks to the Indonesians for help to distress Rohingyas at sea
Press Release: 26 June 2020

Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) expresses its sincere gratitude to the people and
government of Indonesia for their generous efforts to rescue about 100 Rohingya refugees, who
were stranded and in distress at sea in Aceh, and for kindly providing them with temporary shelter
and assistance on humanitarian ground. It has been counted upon as a real demonstration of
brotherhood, leadership and notable humanitarian gesture.
ARNO requests that the Indonesian government continue extending temporary assistance until
appropriate resources are available for the refugees to obtain safe shelter and food resources.
In order for the Rohingya to return home in a safe and dignified manner, ARNO calls upon leaders
within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to address the root causes of the
Rohingya crisis and their refugee problem; to pressure the Myanmar government to end the
genocide and apartheid in Myanmar that is causing conditions to create opportunities for illicit
trafficking networks to flourish in the region affecting the ASEAN and other countries; and to
support the Rohingya people’s rights to be legally recognized as an ethnic minority in Myanmar as
well as restoration of full citizenship consistent with other ethnic nationalities of Myanmar.
The region must unite in creating a long-term solution focusing concrete efforts on providing mutual
cooperation and technical assistance to all countries in the region to put an end to the human
trafficking and human smuggling that continues to occur. The region’s efforts continue to be
lacklustre in this regard and pushing the Rohingya back out to sea or preventing the ships from
docking will not stop or prevent trafficking on the high seas.
ARNO requests the United States and the European Union assist ASEAN to ensure that
international agreements stopping and preventing human trafficking are enforced in Myanmar.
We ask all countries to provide assistance for legitimate law enforcement programs, which include
prosecution of perpetrators, so that human trafficking, a crime against humanity is stopped in the
region.

For more details, please contact:
Dr Mohammad Habib Ullah +1-4438158609 or email at [email protected]