Turkey tells Bangladesh: Open your doors to Rohingya

By Sinan Ozmus and Ercan Canbolat

ANTALYA / ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister called Bangladesh on Friday to open its doors for Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state.

Speaking at an AK Party Eid al-Adha celebration event in Mediterranean province of Antalya, Mevlut Cavusoglu said they told Bangladesh to open its doors for Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar and Turkey would pay the expenses.

"We also mobilized the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. We will hold a summit regarding Arakan [Rakhine state] this year. We need to find a decisive solution to this problem," Cavusoglu added.

He said no other Muslim country than Turkey is showing sensitivity for the massacres happening in Rakhine state.

Cavusoglu also spoke on the phone with former UN Secretary General and head of Advisory Commission on Rakhine State Kofi Annan on Friday, according to diplomatic sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on Aug. 25 when the country’s security forces launched an operation against the Rohingya Muslim community. It triggered a fresh influx of refugees towards neighboring Bangladesh, though the country sealed off its border to refugees.

Media reports said Myanmar security forces used disproportionate force, displacing thousands of Rohingya villagers and destroying their homes with mortars and machine guns.

The region has seen simmering tension between its Buddhist and Muslim populations since communal violence broke out in 2012.

A security crackdown launched last October in Maungdaw, where Rohingya make up the majority, led to a UN report on human rights violations by security forces that indicated crimes against humanity.

The UN documented mass gang-rape, killings -- including infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances. Rohingya representatives have said approximately 400 people have been slain during the crackdown.