Turkish aid agency opens 48 water wells in Myanmar

By Ali Ebubekir Tokcan

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Turkish aid agency opened water wells for Rohingya Muslims living in Myanmar camps, the charity said on Monday.

In a statement, the Cansuyu Charity and Solidarity Organization said that the agency opened 48 wells for clean water in villages in Myanmar’s Sittwe city.

The agency also distributed food packages to 15,000 people, and meat to 3,000 people, the statement added.

Bayram Numan Koksal, an organization coordinator, said: “There was a serious water shortage in the region.”

Koksal said that local people were using rainwater in their daily lives and this would lead to various diseases.

He said that the agency was planning to distribute livestock to the locals and to build a madrasah and masjid.

“As Cansuyu organization, we will continue to support people in the region,” he added.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, more than 750,000 refugees, mostly children, and women, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to Amnesty International.

More than 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces since August 2017, said a new report by Ontario International Development Agency.

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.

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.