Bangladeshi Minister Praises Turkey's Help To Rohingya

Turkey was the first country to help Rohingya Muslims, a Bangladeshi minister said on Thursday.



Since Aug. 25, over 620,000 Rohingya have crossed from Myanmar's western state of Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN.



The refugees are fleeing a military operation that has seen security forces and Buddhist mobs kill men, women and children, loot homes and torch Rohingya villages.



Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury, minister of Disaster Management and Relief, met Abdullah Erin, Governor of southeastern Sanliurfa province of Turkey.



Chowdhury said Turkey set an example by hosting millions of Syrian refugees.



Erin, for his part, said Turkey sees Bangladesh as a brother country.



On Thursday, Chowdhury visited Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency's (TIKA) headquarters in the capital Ankara and said the aid agency established kitchens in the camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar District and provided food to 20,000 refugees.



Earlier, in a meeting with Chowdhury in Ankara, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag said: "Turkey had promised to build 20,000 prefabricated homes for 100,000 people. We decided to increase this to 25,000, so we will be able to serve almost 125,000 people."



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 recent report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity. -