Turkish charity gives aid to 110,000 Rohingya Muslims

Turkey-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said Tuesday it distributed emergency aid among 110,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh after facing persecution from the country’s armed forces.

In a statement, IHH said it distributed tents, food, kitchenware and clothing among more than 22,000 families. It also supplied materials that can be used to build shelters for 250 families.

Seven wells were also dug up at refugee camps and the charity also provided transport to around 30 injured refugees, it added.

IHH Deputy Chair Vahdettin Kaygan said in the statement that around 10,000 children had been left orphaned due to the ongoing violence in the conflict-hit Rakhine state.

“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 Rakhine 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 Rakhine'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.