THE visit by Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan to Bangladesh accompanied by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and a high delegation to see Rohingya Muslims as they are arriving in thousands daily in refugee camps in Bangladesh across Myanmar border is a big gesture to stand by the homeless people. The visit also shows the brotherly Turkish government’s concern and particularly that of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s anguish how Bangladesh is handling such a big humanitarian crisis that needs food, shelter and medicine for the refugees. We believe the Turkish government initiative will strengthen Bangladesh’s diplomatic efforts to take the issue to global community bigger way.
The visit by the First Lady shows the deepest concern that troubled President Erdogan and we must say Bangladesh people are extremely happy for her visit and thankful for standing by our side in time of this crisis. She has taken the trouble of visiting refugees on Wednesday and even distributed relief materials at Kutupalang camp as a sign of sharing the plight of people who have mark of panic and pains of losing homes and near and dear ones in the hand of Myanmar military now carrying out cleansing operation of the Rohingya Muslims. She also saw some injured people who suffered torture before arrivals at the camp.
The Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan has been shocked by the scale of atrocities on the Rohingyas which she said “tantamount to genocide” and has rightly made the point that the solution to Rohingya crisis lies in Myanmar hands only. It needs all out diplomatic efforts. It is clear to all that Bangladesh is an unwilling victim in this crisis as Myanmar is taking advantage of the common border to push its nationals into Bangladesh falsely claiming they are Bangladeshi nationals. We must say Rohingyas were part of an independent Rakhine state hundred years ago but Burmese warlords later occupied it. They are now carrying out ethnic cleansing to free it from Muslims presence.
We highly appreciate Mrs Emine Erdogan’s comment that the government of Turkey will stand beside the Rohingyas and Tayyip Erdogan is planning to take the issue to UN general assembly in a bid to finding an immediate solution to the problem. A community can’t be exterminated from its homeland because of its religious identity as Muslims. We believe it is time leaders of other Muslim countries must be similarly inspired to visit Bangladesh and join voice to give justice to the battered Rohingya Muslims. We can’t allow another homeless people to emerge like the Palestinians and the Muslim world must act quickly now to resolve the crisis. It has power that it must show.
