Turkish charity distributes blankets to 30,000 Rohingya

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA (AA) - A Turkish charity distributed blankets, pullovers and scarves to 30,000 Rohingya in Bangladesh, the aid group said in a statement on Thursday.

Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) distributed the aid as part of its aid campaign.

"Winter means cold, illness and death for the refugee camps. Millions of needy lack clothes, boots, blankets and food," the statement said.

IHH official Mucahit Demir, quoted in the statement, also said that the life gets more difficult during winter for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazaar city.

Demir said Bangladesh is affected by the monsoon rains for months and the temperature decreases.

"As the Rohingya refugees live in shanty houses, they are directly affected by protracted rains," he added.

- Persecuted community

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.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the OIDA report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience."

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children, and women, fled Myanmar and crossed into neighboring Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.

The UN also documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces. In its report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.