Depok, West Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesias Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has expressed regret over the tragedy striking the Rohingya community in Myanmar that had violated humanitarian principles.

"I deeply regret the tragedy affecting the Rohingya community that has violated the principles of human rights," Laoly noted on the sidelines of the International Conference themed "1st ASEAN Symposium of Criminology" held at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences in the University of Indonesia in Depok, Monday.

He also said President Joko Widodo had instructed Foreign Affairs Minister Retno P. Marsudi to visit Myanmar to provide assistance to settle the Rohingya issue.

"Long before the event took place, we have paid greater attention to the Rohingya community by building schools and offering humanitarian aid," he pointed out.

"It is now time to not merely speak about it but to take tangible action in helping the Rohingya community," he reiterated.

The minister also expressed regret over the circulation of fake photographs on the Rohingya tragedy, for instance, images from a completely different disaster that were being portrayed as though they were pictures depicting the Rohingya victims, when in reality, they had nothing to do with it.

"Several pictures that were being circulated clearly were not of the Rohingya community," he confirmed.

To this end, he encouraged the community to not be easily provoked or take actions that may trigger mass unrest through the circulation of false pictures or hoax news.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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