Yıldırım will visit Rohingya camps in Bangladesh to observe activities carried out by Turkey's relief organizations
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım arrived early Wednesday in Cox’s Bazar as part of a two-day official visit to Bangladesh.
Yıldırım will visit the Mainnerghona camp for Rohingya refugees, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Cox's Bazar, where thousands of Rohingya fleeing state persecution in Myanmar have taken shelter.
He will also observe construction work for a field hospital in Balukhali camp.
During his Bangladesh tour, Yıldırım is accompanied by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya and other Turkish officials.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali also accompanied the Turkish delegation.
In Cox's Bazar, Yıldırım will also visit the under-construction Sahra Hospital.
He is also expected to attend a ceremony for the donation of two ambulances and staff vehicles that will be delivered to Cox's Bazaar Central Hospital by Turkey's state-run aid body the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).
Besides TIKA, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Turkish Red Crescent and Directorate of Turkey's Religious Affairs have also been carrying out humanitarian relief work in the region.
Since Aug. 25, more than 656,000 Rohingya have crossed from Myanmar's western state of Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN. The refugees are fleeing a military operation that has seen security forces and Buddhist mobs kill men, women and children, loot homes and torch Rohingya villages.
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.
At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Myanmar’s western 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 the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of 5.
The UN has 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.
