Mohamed Ayoub, a young Rohingya man who placed his frail and elderly mother and father in two baskets and carried them from Myanmar’s Rakhine state for fifteen days is pleading for help from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Ayoub carried his parents on the treacherous journey because he could not bear to leave them behind amid the humanitarian crisis which has deepened over the past several months following last year’s crackdown by the military on Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state.
He carried his parents barefoot on the dangerous trek, but unfortunately his father passed away. Ayoub has requested a helping hand from Erdoğan, and asked the Turkish president to take cover his mother’s medical treatments.
“I would like to especially thank President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I am expecting help from him for my mother’s treatments,” Ayoub said.
Since Aug. 25, 2017, more than 750,000 Rohingya, mostly children and women, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to Amnesty International.
At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state during the first month of military operation, Doctors Without Borders said.
In a report published on Dec. 12, the global humanitarian organization said that the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of five.
The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
