Since late August, 656,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to
Bangladesh to escape persecution
By Dildar Baykan and S.Ahmet Aytac
ANKARA
Rohingya Muslims have been suffering since Aug. 25 when
ethnic cleansing by the Myanmar military started.
On Aug. 25 attacks on border posts in western Rakhine
state in Myanmar left 89 people dead including 12 security personnel.
The attacks came hours after a commission led by ex-UN
chief Kofi Annan urged the government to end restrictions on Rohingya Muslims
in Rakhine.
After a year-long inquiry, the commission called for
"urgent and sustained action on a number of fronts to prevent violence,
maintain peace, foster reconciliation and offer a sense of hope to the state’s
hard-pressed population".
Turkey condemned the deadly attacks right away in a
statement, where the Foreign Ministry emphasized that "the problems in
Rakhine state cannot be resolved through violence".
The statement said it was saddening that the attacks
happened at a time the report of the Kofi Annan-led Rakhine Advisory Commission
was released.
HRW reports rape
Myanmar military forces have committed widespread rape as
part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine
State, according to a Human Rights Watch report in November.
The organization interviewed 52 Rohingya women and girls
who fled to Bangladesh, 29 of whom said they had been raped and three of the
girls were under 18 years of age. Many women described witnessing the murders
of their children, spouses, and parents, the report said.
One of the teenaged victims said soldiers had stripped
her naked and dragged her from her home where 10 soldiers raped her.
Turkish First Lady visits camps
Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan and Turkish Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sep. 7 visited the camps in Bangladesh where
Rohingya Muslims took shelter after having fled from Rakhine.
They handed out aid to Rohingya Muslim refugees at a camp
near the Myanmar border.
At the beginning of September, Myanmar government agreed
to allow Turkey's state-run aid body, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination
Agency (TIKA) to enter Rakhine state to help the needy.
Other Turkish agencies, including the Disaster and
Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the Turkish Red Crescent and the IHH
Humanitarian Relief Foundation, followed suit.
They have distributed tents, food, medicine, blankets,
heaters, kitchenware, clothing and materials to build shelter.
Myanmar, Bangladesh agree over repatriation
Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement on Nov. 23 for
the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims who have crossed the border.
The Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from
Rakhine State was signed after a two-day meeting in Myanmar's capital.
Leading rights group and representatives of the Rohingya
Muslims voiced concern over the lack of an international monitor for the
repatriation of Rohignya refugees to Myanmar. They fear that refugees will be
repatriated to the troubled Rakhine state.
Pope Francis' visit
Pope Francis visited the region at the beginning of
December. Pope Francis called for respect for the rights of all of Myanmar's
ethnic groups, but disappointed human rights activists by failing to directly
mention the persecuted Rohingya Muslims.
In a speech in Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw, he referred
to the ongoing suffering of Myanmar’s people “from civil conflict and
hostilities”.
Francis made no mention of the Rohingya or the crackdown
in Rakhine, which has been condemned by the UN and the U.S. as "ethnic
cleansing".
Turkish PM visits camps
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim paid a two-day
visit to Bangladesh on Dec. 20 and 21.
During his visit at the Mainnaghota refugee camp, he
urged a global campaign for Rohingya Muslims
Yildirim, accompanied by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister
Bekir Bozdag distributed food to the Rohingya refugees and toys to children.
He thanked the Bangladeshi government for its efforts,
support, and cooperation over the Rohingya issue.
According to the UN, 656,000 refugees, mostly children
and women, have fled to Bangladesh since Aug. 25 when Myanmar forces launched a
crackdown on the minority Muslim community.
At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state from
Aug. 25 to Sept. 24, according to Doctors Without Borders.
In a report published on Dec. 12, the global humanitarian
organization said that the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused
by violence. They include 730 children below the age of 5.
Source: http://v.aa.com.tr/1014681