By Ainur Rohmah and P Prem Kumar
JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR
Indonesia has offered to help develop Myanmar's impoverished state of Rakhine as part of a series of measures announced after a trilateral meeting Thursday.
The talks were held as Southeast Asian countries continue to encourage Myanmar to play a larger role in finding a solution to the boat people crisis on its shores.
Indonesia's foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, said in a statement following Thursday's meeting that Myanmar's government had welcomed "Indonesia's offer to build Rakhine in an inclusive and non-discriminative manner."
There was no explanation as to how Indonesia was to take part in any building - or development - of the area, however the two countries also agreed to increase efforts to reach trade targets of $1 billion in 2016.
Marsudi also offered trade cooperation in the areas of palm oil, fertilizers and farming equipment.
Malaysia's foreign minister - who was also present at the event in Myanmar's capital, Nay Pyi Taw - said in a statement that Myanmar was willing to give its full cooperation in resolving the boat people crisis.
Anifah Aman said he had sought assurances from Myanmar that they would assist in tackling the crisis, and emphasised the importance of Myanmar identifying its main cause and resolving the problem.
Many of the migrants on the boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea are Rohingya Muslims originating from Western Rakhine State fleeing Myanmar - Myanmar, however, does not recognize the Rohingya, preferring to refer to them as Bengali, which suggests they are from neighboring Bangladesh.
Aman said that his Myanmar contemporary, U Wunna Maung Lwin, had said that his government was always concerned about developments in Rakhine, in fact its vice-president, U Nyan Tun, had made a visit to the region recently, he added.
"The Myanmar government will continue to provide aid and implement economic development and social programs in the region," Aman said.
Malaysia is the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and was instrumental in Myanmar becoming part of the bloc.
The meeting was arranged to inform the country of Malaysia and Indonesia's decision to take in boatloads of migrants until the international community takes them off their hands.
On Thursday, a group of United Nations human rights experts welcomed the decision not to pushback migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Malaysia's and Indonesia's territorial waters.
They also urged the international community to assist the countries affected by supporting financially and materially their efforts to protect the human rights of all migrants.
“This is an important and welcome step forward in recognition of the need to protect the right to life for all, regardless of their status,” said the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on migrants. “Saving lives must remain a priority.”
Myanmar has been under intense pressure to help stem the flood - many of whom are Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar - that has been attempting to land on Malaysian, Thai, and Indonesian shores following Thailand's efforts to clamp down on smuggling rings in its south.
Many of the boat's occupants have fled Myanmar's Rakhine alleging brutality by the country’s military leaders, some have left refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazar region, while others claim to have been forced onto the boats by people smugglers – ransoms then demanded from their families back home for their safe passage.
Marsudi said that Myanmar has said it is ready to cooperate to combat the human smuggling, and is planning to send its ambassador to visit Rohingya in shelters in Aceh Province.
Marsudi has told reporters that more than 1,300 of the Muslims -- who the United Nations consider to be the world’s most persecuted ethnic minority -- have been accommodated in Indonesia since the May 1 crisis started.
The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State was also on a trip to Myanmar Thursday, during which he met the country's president, foreign minister, parliamentary speaker and military commander.
Afterwards, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a news briefing that Antony Blinken had said Myanmar needed to address the root causes of the migration: "including the racially and religiously motivated discrimination and violence."
On Thursday, Myanmar said it will attend a June 29 meeting in Thailand to address the region's growing migrant crisis.
The attendance had been in doubt, despite growing diplomatic pressure.
*Anadolu Agency correspondent Betul Yuruk contributed to the story from Geneva
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