Amid the Heating of Myanmar Conflict, MER-C Sends a Team
Jakarta, MINA – The humanitarian agency Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) has sent a team of engineer volunteers amid growing conflicts between Myanmar’s military and Rohingya ethnic group to follow up on the development of Indonesia’s hospitals in the region.
The volunteers who leave for Myanmar are IFaried Thalib and INur Ikhawan Abadi, both of whom were previously elements of the leadership of Indonesian Hospital Development in Gaza.
The MER-C chief will sign the contract for the construction of an Indonesian hospital in Rakhine, Myanmar between MER-C and local contractors.
Members of the MER-C Presidium Joserizal Jurnalis explained that the team would also seek access for humanitarian aid to the conflict areas there.
According to Nur Ikhwan Abadi, his departure to Myanmar is a momentum that coincides with the incessant conflict in Myanmar.
“This is the right momentum when the conflict in Myanmar is warming up, we can enter the region, this momentum we take as our commitment to assume an important role as mediator,” he told MINA at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, on the eve of departure to Myanmar, on Wednesday morning (6/9) at 03.30 pm.
The Indonesian hospital is built as a symbol of the close cooperation between Indonesia and Myanmar since independence, as well as a symbol of peace to unite Burmese from 143 tribes in the former Burma.
The project was carried out by MER-C along with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) with government support through Vice President HM Jusuf Kalla and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, as well as Buddhist communities in Indonesia.
“The purpose of RS Indonesia’s development is to provide good humanitarian services to all Myanmar people, without any separation or differences between tribes, races and religions,” said Nur Ikhwan who is also a journalist of MINA.
He added that in addition to the signing of the contract, there will also be a handover of payments to the first stage construction workers who have completed the construction of a fence around the hospital and dredging activities with a total of about 27,000 US dollars.
“The first stage is completed, for now the second phase is the construction of doctor residence and nurses, and the third stage is the turn of the main building and medical equipment insha Allah planned next November,” he added.
He explained that the process of licensing for the construction of RS Indonesia in Myanmar is quite complicated and takes a long time since 2012, and in 2017 it can start the construction ..
“The hospital construction process in Myanmar is quite long, about 5 years, in Gaza did not take so long,, in 2009 we began the process of licensing and then 2011 we started to build, and in 2016 the hospital was inaugurated,” he explained. (T/R04/RS5)
Mi’raj Islamic News Ageny (MINA)
