Yudhoyono Writes To Myanmar President

Bogor (Antara Bali) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he has asked his Myanmar counterpart to resolve the problems of the Rohingya community.
   
"I wrote a letter to him last night. God willing it has been sent to President Thein Sein, and conveys Indonesia's hope for a sound settlement of the ethnic group," President Yudhoyono said during a press conference at his private residence in Bogor on Saturday.
    Ã¢â‚¬Â¨
He said the conflict between the Rohingya and Rakhine ethnic groups needs to be put into perspective.
   

The President opined that the different ethnic groups are in direct conflict with each other because they follow different religions. The Rohingyas are Muslims, which is a minority religion in Myanmar, while the Rakhines are Buddhists and therefore are part of the majority community of the country.
   

The President said that based on reports from foreign minister Marty Natalegawa and the Indonesian ambassador to Myanmar, he knew that no genocide had taken place so far.
   

He, however, added that to date 77 people had been killed and 109 wounded, while 17 mosques, 15 monasteries and 5,000 houses had been damaged or set on fire during conflicts between the two ethnic groups. "It is unlike what has been reported so far," Yudhoyono said.(*/M038/T007)