REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Senior activist from Myanmar, Ko Ko Lim, said both between Muslims and Buddhists in Rakhine needed serious attention from the government as well as from international community. He said religious violence and conflict that occured there also triggered by social jealousy and poverty issues because Rakhine was the second poorest province in Myanmar.

"Only helped one side of them (Muslims only or Buddhists only) was not best solution to resolve conflict. If you helped Buddhists, it must also mean you help Rohingya," Lim said during ke visit to Republika in Jakarta on Monday.

But he admitted that Myanmar Buddhists often acted as the perpetrators behind violent incidents which eliminated the Rohingya Muslims population.

Lim explained Rohingya Muslim in Rakhine were under serious situation, such as many people suffered as lack of food, shelters, and without educational facilities. Rohingya Muslim asked for right and justice to survive their own lives. A few women and widows earned money by prostitution. All Muslims were blocked in Rakhine and lacked access to market and travel.

Meanwhile, Buddhists in general have same situation. Lim said Buddhists also suffered extreme poverty and also willing to get support from outside. 

Young monks association network and local  community-based organization (CBO) networks mobilized themselves to oppose govt to give supports for them, not Muslims. Local people are ignorance towards Islam and suspecious tiwards the influences of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). NGOs were also watched by NGO watched group in local and they usually investigated and tried to block supplies and outside supports for Muslims. 

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