UPDATE - Turkey distributes Ramadan aid to Rohingya in Myanmar

UPDATES WITH AID DISTRIBUTION IN SRI LANKA

By Meryem Goktas and Recep Bilek

ANKARA (AA) - A foundation linked to Turkey's religious authority has distributed aid to Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar during Ramadan, a foundation representative said on Friday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Abdullah Ucak, Bangladesh coordinator for the Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV), said 6,200 food aid packages had been distributed among Rohingya Muslims in Sittwe, the capital of the volatile western Rakhine state.

Ucak said the packages containing rice, oil, sugar, salt and flour were distributed at several refugee camps.

Additionally, 5,000 Rohingya Muslims were given iftar (fast-breaking) meals across the region, Ucak added.

Separately, 5,000 food aid packages were distributed by the authority in Sri Lanka as part of the aid program during Ramadan.

TDV official in Sri Lanka Mikail Colak said the food aid, which included flour, rice and oil was distributed in Kinniya, Kandy, Trincomalee and Batticaloa.

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.

At least 9,400 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24 last year, according to Doctors Without Borders.

In a report published recently, the humanitarian group 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 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.