ISTANBUL
The Chairman of the Turkish Red Crescent Aid Society, Ahmet Lutfi Akar on Saturday said that the strength of the Republic of Turkey would end the massacre in Myanmar.
"An item that you buy here for 5 Turkish liras (TL) would go to Myanmar for 25 TL. As such, we expect aid to the Rohingya Muslims to be in cash," Akar said as he and his delegation returned to Turkey after visiting Bangladesh to extend a helping hand to Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar's Arakan region due to incidents of violence.
Speaking to reporters at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport, Akar said that they visited Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar region along with the local Red Crescent to determine the needs of the Rohingya Muslims.
"We have facilitated the visibility of the Turkish Red Crescent and the Turkish government at Cox's Bazar. We have determined what type of humanitarian assistance could be made to the Rohingya Muslims," Akar noted.
"The government of Bangladesh argues that there are 29,000 refugees in various camps. We believe that this number is much higher. Turkey has begun an aid campaign for Myanmar," Akar stressed.
"The region needs rice, oil and lentil. Meeting these needs within Bangladesh costs less than sending them from Turkey," Akar indicated.
Asked about the most dramatic moment in their visit to Bangladesh, Akar said that "there were very dramatic incidents".
"There are those who say they have been sexually harassed. There are parents who have been shot in front of their children and killed. There are those who say they can not hear from their relatives in the region," Akar stated.
"The region where the Muslim refugees have settled are very fertile. As such, the locals want to remove them from this region. I believe that the strength of the Republic of Turkey would help end the massacre in Myanmar," Akar also said.
