Arakan News Agency
The Turkish relief agency IHH distributed humanitarian aid to more than 110,000 Rohingya Muslims in Arakan province, west of Myanmar, who fled to Bangladesh to escape attacks by the army and Buddhist militias.
The agency said in a statement on Tuesday that the aid included food parcels, housing supplies and clothing, as well as cash assistance and building kits.
It also transferred about 30 patients for treatment in hospitals, and dug seven wells in different areas, to meet the needs of refugees in camps of drinking water.
“About 10,000 children have become orphaned by the attacks,” the statement quoted the vice president of the agency, External Relations Officer Wahiduddin Kaygan, as saying.
He pointed out that 1,500 children out of the 150 thousand arrived in Bangladesh crossed alone.
“Many children who migrated to Bangladesh have seen their own parents getting killed in front of their eyes,” Kaygan added.
He also said 85 percent of the refugees were children at the Putibunia Camp in Teknaf area near the Myanmar border.
Influenza, pneumonia, diarrhea and water-borne illnesses were also being reported among refugees, the statement added.
People who wish to donate can contribute 5 liras ($1.45) by writing the text “ARAKAN” to 3072.
Since Aug. 25, more than 420,000 Rohingya have crossed from Myanmar’s western state of Arakan into Bangladesh, according to the UN.
The refugees are fleeing a fresh security operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages. According to Bangladesh, around 3,000 Rohingya have been killed in the crackdown.
Turkey has been at the forefront of providing aid to Rohingya refugees and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will raise the issue at the UN.
The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world’s most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.
Last October, following attacks on border posts in Arakan’s Maungdaw district, security forces launched a five-month crackdown in which, according to Rohingya groups, around 400 people were killed.
The UN documented mass gang rapes, killings — including of infants and young children — brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
Source : Anadolu Agency
