REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Prominent Buddhist figure in Madura, East Java, Kosala Mahinda has condemned the violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, emphasizing that such a treatment is not in accordance with the true teachings of Buddhism.

"The Rohingya crisis should not have happened as Buddhism teaches us to love all human beings," Mahinda, the chairman of the Avalokitesvara Temple Foundation in Pamekasan, Madura, informed Antara during a telephonic conversation on Thursday.

"We hope the conflict in Myanmar can be solved. The United Nations must act to address the crisis as it could threaten interfaith harmony in this world," he emphasized.

He lauded the existence of religious harmony in Indonesia, such as in Pamekasan where Buddhists and Muslims peacefully coexist and have mutual respect for each other.

In Medan, North Sumatra, Buddhist monk Peter Lim also denounced the prosecution of Rohingyas in Buddhist-majority Myanmar as it defamed Buddhism.

"I feel ashamed and sad. And I condemn it because it has defamed Buddhism and Buddha's teachings," Monk Lim stated in Medan, recently.

The prosecution by the extremists did not reflect the teachings of Buddhism, he affirmed.

In the meantime, the Indonesian Buddhists' Association (Walubi) has called on the country's Buddhists to help the Rohingya refugees currently stranded in Aceh and North Sumatra, Indonesia.

"In this case, we call on all Buddhists to view this as a condition that needs humanitarian assistance from us. Here, we do not see them based on their religion, tribe, or nationality," Deputy Chairman of Walubi Suhadi Sendjaja told VIVA.co.id, on May 22, 2015.

Ahead of Waisak Day, or Buddha's Anniversary, Walubi called on all Buddhists to perform good deeds.

Walubi has earlier stated that the Buddhists in Indonesia have nothing to do with radicalism spread by Ashin Wirathu, a radical monk who had provoked prosecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine state, Myanmar.

Chairman of Walubi Indonesia Arief Harsono noted that the Indonesian people, including Buddhists, should understand that the Rohingya problem has occurred as Myanmar does not recognize Rohingya Muslims as their citizens.

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