Mercy Malaysia needs more support to help the Rohingyas

KUALA LUMPUR: Mercy Malaysia needs about RM3 million for immediate relief on the ground in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohingya have fled to in order to escape persecution at the hands of Myanmar authorities.
Relating his experience at Cox's Bazar, Mercy Malaysia's senior programme officer Muhammad Abdullah Abd Wahab Ishari said stories in the media are just a small glimpse of the humanitarian crisis that is the exodus of Rohingya.
"The Rohingya exodus from Myanmar into Bangladesh is perhaps the most tragic thing I have witnessed first hand, to date.The official encampment that was set up a few years back housed around 16,000 Rohingyas. Now however, there are more than 70,000 of them unofficially there – with 30,000 more said to be seeking refuge outside the designated encampment area," he said at a press conference yesterday.
Muhammad Abdullah said if one were forced to stay outside of the official encampment, it would break a person.

"If you are hungry or thirsty, there is nothing for you, apart from infrequent rainwater and puddles of muddy water. There is no shelter for you, it’s just you against nature in an overcrowded space," he said.
"I remember being approached by a family. The father was holding his 1-month-old baby wrapped in her mother’s scarf. The baby looked tired and dazed with bleeding lips, signs of dehydration. She just looked blankly at me," he recalled.
The child was attended to by medical personnel, but Muhammad Abdullah does not know what happened to her.
Amid a dramatic increase in the number of refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar’s Northern Rakhine State, Mercy Malaysia continues to express its deep concern over the refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and continues to call for urgent action to provide relief.

“There is a sense of urgency to cater to the needs of the refugee communities affected in Cox’s Bazar and the needs of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) affected in Myanmar. With the increasing number of displaced people and lack of space in safe locations, ensuring access to food, water sanitation and hygiene, healthcare and hygiene kits, as well as non-food items such as blankets and so forth are much needed. Our team has been on site since Sept 9, 2017," said Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus, president of MERCY Malaysia.

He added that a second mission consisting of the Emergency Response (ER) team to Cox’s Bazar was deployed on Sept 12, in order to strengthen their response and prepare for further intervention with the help of its partner Coastal Association for Social Transformation Trust (COAST).
"However, with all the assistance that we and other humanitarian agencies provide, we still cannot solve the problem of the Rohingyas. To do that, it will take political intervention," he added grimly.
Donations to the Rohingya refugee cause in Cox’s Bazar can be made to MERCY Malaysia’s Rohingya Relief Fund and donations to the Internally Displaced People cause in Myanmar can be made to MERCY Malaysia’s Myanmar Relief Fund, both by logging on to www.mercy.org.my.