Widodo: Indonesia will continue providing support for the Rohingyas
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| Indonesian President Joko Widodo visits a Rohingya refugee camp at Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar on Sunday, January 28, 2018 (Photo: Dhaka Tribune) |
By Abdul Aziz
January 28, 2018
The Indonesian president says his country will keep providing aids for the Rohingyas as long as they are in Bangladesh
Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh -- Indonesia and its people will continue providing their support, including the humanitarian assistance, for the displaced Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh, Joko Widodo has said.
The Indonesian president made the pledge during his visit to the Jamtoli camp of the refugees, from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, at Thaingkhali in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya upazila on Sunday afternoon.
After arriving in the coastal district around 1pm, he went directly to the camp to witness the plight of the Rohingyas who fled sectarian violence in Myanmar and listened to their tales of sufferings.
Talking to reporters there, Widodo praised the Bangladesh government for sheltering the Rohingyas and coming to their aid.
He said Indonesia would keep providing aids for the Rohingyas as long as they are here and reiterated his country’s support to safe and dignified return of the displaced people to Rakhine.
The Indonesian president also inspected a field hospital, school, relief centre and pure drinking water supply system, which were set up with fundings from the Indonesian government, at the camp.
He was accompanied by his wife Iriana Widodo, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, and representatives of UNHCR and IOM, among others.
Earlier on Sunday, Joko Widodo, who arrived in Dhaka on Saturday, had held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in Dhaka before leaving for Cox’s Bazar.
Wrapping up his two-day state visit, the Indonesian president is scheduled to leave Bangladesh on Monday morning.
More than 688,000 Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh fleeing the violence which erupted in in Rakhine state on August 25, 2017.
