NEW DELHI (Bernama): Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus discussed the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in a meeting with visiting Turkish lawmakers in Dhaka on Monday.
"The plight of the Rohingya community remains one of the most tragic humanitarian crises of our time.
"These people are suffering simply because they are Muslims, and their citizenship has been stripped away," Yunus told the Turkish delegation, according to a Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha news agency report.
Bangladesh hosts more than 1.3 million Rohingya refugees who have escaped a campaign of genocide and persecution in Myanmar.
They survive in harsh conditions in sprawling camps in the Cox's Bazar area of Bangladesh while Myanmar remains mired in violent ethnic conflicts and bloodshed despite international efforts to resolve the crisis.
Atrocities against the Rohingya community led to an exodus of refugees from the Rakhine region in 2017.
"After eight years in camps, their children are growing up with limited access to education or opportunities for the future -- a situation that could lead to frustration and instability," Yunus said.
He said the Rohingya people have endured injustice for decades and the world must not forget their plight.
The five-member Turkish parliamentary team led by Mehmet Akif Yilmaz on Sunday visited Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar and saw first-hand the humanitarian work various Turkish groups are doing there.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Turkish Red Crescent (Türk Kızılay), and Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) are among the Turkish organisations that have helped Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Yilmaz in a social media post on Monday, said 1.2 million refugees are living in a narrow area that lacks the most basic human needs.
Turkish humanitarian teams are stepping up their efforts to create more health facilities, schools, and homes for the Rohingya community, he said. - Bernama
