Turkey launches aid campaign for Rohingya Muslims of Arakan

The Prime Ministry has started an aid campaign for the Rohingya Muslims, who have been forced to flee their homes in Myanmar's Arakan province on account of the violence there, and who are now facing hunger, thirst and the threat of epidemics. Releasing a notice that was published in the Official Gazette on Sunday, the Prime Ministry said thousands of Muslims from Arakan are seeking shelter as refugees in neighboring countries and are living in life-threatening conditions. "Turkey will provide every possible assistance and support to the Muslims of Myanmar in the holy month of Ramadan, when feelings of social solidarity and cooperation become strong, in line with the expectations of the people. Therefore, an aid campaign has been launched by the Prime Ministry to this end," the notice reads. Stating that the coordination of the aid campaign will be maintained by the Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD), the notice also reveals that all donations collected by governors' offices, municipalities, nongovernmental organizations and other public institutions can be transferred to bank accounts created especially for the aid campaign. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Executive Committee, which held an emergency meeting to discuss the issue of the Rohingya Muslims on Aug. 5 in Jeddah, called on the international community to cooperate to stop violence facing Muslims in Myanmar. In his opening speech, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the fact that the international community has failed to speak out against the murders and oppression of Rohingya Muslims had really disappointed OIC countries. Calling on the international community to take a firm stance against violence in Myanmar, Ihsanoglu said that Myanmar's 1982 law on citizenship, which deprives the Muslim population in the country from basic citizenship rights, should be changed. "Worldwide aid campaigns should be launched to help these people. A research committee should be sent to Myanmar to observe first-hand what is happening in Myanmar," Ihsanoglu noted. Meanwhile, Turkish Ambassador to Myanmar Murat Yavuz Ates visited Arakan province along with several other ambassadors and UN officials on Aug. 5.