Turkish agency opens clinic in Rakhine State, Myanmar

ANKARA

Turkey's state-run aid agency opened a clinic in Rakhine State, homeland of Rohingya Muslims in western Myanmar, on Monday.

The clinic in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, will provide small surgical operations, mother and childcare, and outpatient and general care, said the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency.

The health services provided in the clinic will be accessible to all ethnic and religious groups, the agency added.

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

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.

The UN has also documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces.

In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.

Writing By Erdogan Çagatay Zontur