Public slow to respond to plight of stateless Rohingya

An appeal to supply vital aid to the world’s only stateless people has raised £7m in the UK.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched the fundraising bid to help the Rohingya people who are fleeing ethnic violence in Myanmar.

The DEC, made up of 13 humanitarian charities including the British Red Cross, Save the Children and Islamic Relief, launched the emergency fundraising appeal for the 500,000 Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar on 3 October.

Donations are being doubled by the Department for International Development.

However, the £7m raised by the appeal is low compared to other appeals such as the Nepal earthquake appeal, which raised £19m on the first day.

The Rohingya have been fleeing Myanmar’s Rakhine state for the neighbouring country of Bangladesh since 25 August, following a military offensive in the region by Myanmar’s region.

The United Nations have described Myanmar’s military operations in the region as “ethnic cleansing.”

DEC chief executive, Saleh Saeed, said on the launch of the emergency appeal: “People are arriving exhausted and traumatised into already overcrowded camps in Bangladesh.

“This is one of the fastest movements of people we have seen in recent decades. “Families are living in makeshift shelters or by the side of the road with no clean drinking water, toilets or washing facilities.

This humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in a country that is already reeling from the worst floods in decades. “Without urgent support, the risk of disease and further misery is alarmingly high.”