UPDATE - Indonesia: 1000s gather for pro-Rohingya rally

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) - Thousands of Indonesians gathered in front of Myanmar's embassy in Jakarta on Friday to protest violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

After Friday prayers were conducted along with brief speeches on a street outside the embassy, around 2,000 protesters carrying banners saying "Stop Genocide against Rohingya in Myanmar" and "Save Muslim Rohingya from the Abuse" began the two-kilometer (1.24-mile) march to a local United Nations office.

One demonstrator, Mohamad Syukur Mandar, demanded the Myanmar government immediately stop recent violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State that has left anything between 86 and 500 people dead, and urged the international community to solve the issue.

"We urge the Indonesian government to actively take a role in this issue," metrotvnews.com quoted Mandar as saying.

Policing was earlier stepped up outside the embassy, as officials prepared for a second day of protests.

Similar events are also expected to take place outside Myanmar embassies in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

The rallies -- called for by several Islamic organizations -- also aim to show solidarity for Rohingya, who have been facing oppression for years.

Over the past six weeks, rights groups have expressed concern over reports of killings, rapes, arbitrary arrests and other violations in villages predominantly occupied by Rohingya in troubled Rakhine amid military operations launched after fatal attacks on police stations Oct. 9.

They have called for independent investigations into the initial attacks, the ongoing operations and reported rights abuses in the area.

The area has been placed under military lockdown, leaving rights groups and international reporters unable to enter.

Some of the groups gathering Friday had initially planned to carry out a large-scale rally against the Jakarta governor, who has been accused of insulting the Quran, but instead chose to focus on Myanmar