Mapim sets up relief coordination centre to help Rohingya refugees

SEPANG: The Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisations (Mapim) has set up a relief coordination centre to assist Rohinya refugees at Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
Mapim vice-president Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman said the centre was set up by the council in collaboration with Bangladeshi non-governmental organisations on Sept 15, and had commenced operations.
"The relief coordination centre will distribute food aid and various necessities to Rohingya refugees in refugee camps at Cox's Bazar," he said when met by reporters shortly after arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from Dhaka today.
Ahmad Tarmizi, who had gone to visit the camp on Sept 12, said the humanitarian crisis faced by Rohingya refugees at the Myanmar-Bangladesh border was serious, which saw an increase of up to 20,000 refugees on a daily basis.
"The refugee camps at Cox's Bazar are now so crowded, and waves of humans can be seen as the number of refugees has reached almost half a million, and continues to rise daily.
"The growing food crisis at refugee camps in Cox's Bazar has seen some Rohingya refugees resort to eating grass, and act aggressively when humanitarian mission vehicles enter the camps," he said, adding that Mapim intended to collect RM5 million, food, as well as clean water supply to be sent to Cox's Bazar next month. — Bernama