Dear Mr. President,
I would like to express my humble gratitude to you for your kind consideration in letting us stay in Indonesia. Indonesia is the first country where we, refugees, ever had a chance to taste peace after fleeing genocide, wars and conflicts in our respective countries.
On behalf of my people, Rohingya, I would like to thank the kind fishermen and compassionate citizens of Aceh. They made their mark in history by rescuing hundreds of Rohingya from the sea when we were abandoned by other countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Australia.
We have appreciated Indonesian people’s kindness towards us on special occasions such as EID festival days when we were invited by local people to visit their homes. Our debt to you and your beautiful citizens grows with each passing moment.
In the years when we patiently waited for a durable solution to our situation, we tried to occupy our time as productively as possible. We helped our Indonesian friends and community. Personally, I have committed myself to teach English to local people and have shared my knowledge and skills with my community.
I am proud to say that I have made many friends in Indonesia and have a good command of Bahasa Indonesia; I am delighted to say that many of my fellow refugees speak it even better than me.
Because we have experienced your sympathy, I am emboldened with great respect to draw your kind attention to our most vulnerable situation in Indonesia.
Mr. President, I want you to imagine a group of people living under conditions where they are systematically subjected to genocide.
From the very beginning of their history in Myanmar, the Rohingya have been persecuted in their everyday lives, severely restricted in their work opportunities, and forbidden to travel freely. They have been denied basic human rights, which include, most importantly, the right to citizenship in one’s own country. On top of all these discrimination, we are frequently hounded by military troops and Rakhine extremist groups.
