ANKARA
Turkish deputy prime minister has said that a huge crime against humanity was taking place in Arakan region in the west of Myanmar.
"People are being murdered for having diffirent faiths. Unfortunately the administration has a role in murders and a huge massacre is now being committed there," minister Bozdag told Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
Minister Bozdag called on international community to "stop the cruelty".
Stating that the world was not paying attention to the developments in Arakan, "I do call on everbody to stand against the crime against humanity, cruelty and injustice in Arakan region in the west of Myanmar and to make efforts to "stop the cruelty". If we do not respond and take necessary steps, the responsibility of massacre might belong to people who couldn't say "stop the cruelty", said Bozdag.
Bozdag also stated that if necessary steps were not taken swiftly, more children, women as well as elderly people would be killed.
Noting that United Nations should take a leading part to stop killings in the region, "United Nations and other international organizations should take an immediate action. Every country should be sensitive to the developments there. However, we have not seen any awareness until now," the minister said.
Around 800,000 Rohingyas live in Myanmar.
Decades of discrimination has left the Rohingya stateless, with Myanmar implementing restrictions on their movement and withholding land rights, education and public services.
Violence against them dates back to 1940s.
Some Muslim groups in Arakan took up arms against ethnic cleansing and religious violence years ago. However they failed.
After 1950s, the violence against Rohingya Muslims escalated. They were being forced to abandon the region.
Around 28,000 Rohingya Muslims are currently living in the camps alongside Bangladesh border. Moreover, hundreds of them are trying to survive in several villages and at mountains out of the camps.
Reporting by Yusuf Celebi
