Turkish aid agency dispatches aid to Rohingya Muslims

By Ismail Ozdemir

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Turkish aid agency has dispatched humanitarian aid to Rohingya Muslims following the reports of mass civilian casualties and displacements in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) distributed food packages among 300 families. It also sent tents for 200 families and kitchen materials (plates, glasses, pots and buckets) for another 200 families, according to a statement by the foundation.

The IHH teams have also prepared more food packages and other stuffs for 200 more affected families.

Violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine State on Aug. 25 when the country’s security forces launched an operation against Rohingya Muslim community. It triggered a fresh influx of refugees towards neighboring Bangladesh though the country sealed off its border for the refugees.

Media reports said Myanmar security forces used disproportionate force, displacing thousands of Rohingya villagers and destroying their homes with mortars and machine guns.

The region has seen simmering tension between its Buddhist and Muslim populations since communal violence broke out in 2012.

A security clampdown launched in October last year in Maungdaw, where Rohingya form the majority, led to a UN report on human rights violations by security forces that indicated crimes against humanity.

The UN documented mass gang-rape, killings -- including that of babies and young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances. Rohingya representatives have said approximately 400 people were slain during the operation.