Turkish charity delivers Ramadan aid to Rohingya

By Ali Ebubekir Tokcan

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Turkish aid agency has delivered tens of thousands of food packages to needy Rohingya in Bangladesh during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Istanbul-based Cansuyu Charity and Solidarity Organization have sent food aid to Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar town and offered iftar dinners to thousands of people.

The agency’s aid came as part of its aid activities across the world.

Bayram Numan Koksal, Rakhine State coordinator of the agency, said that aid activities have increased manifold during the holy month.

“We have distributed Ramadan food boxes to tens of thousands of our Rohingya brothers and sisters and offered iftar dinners to hundreds of people in Masjid Dilek,” Koksal said.

The agency is also planning to open a health center in the coming days, the agency official said.

International aid agencies have called for more support for Rohingya refugees as the holy month of Ramadan begins.

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.

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

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 report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience."

*Writing by Nilay Kar Onum