IHH aid teams sacrificed 30 heads of cattle in Pattani and distributed meat to the needy Muslims in central Pattani and its villages during the Eid al-Adha. Moving to Narathiwat, another southeastern province in Thailand, the foundation’s aid teams sacrificed another 30 heads of cattle there and distributed meat to the locals.
In addition to sacrificial meat, the IHH also distributed food packages to around 500 families who suffered from a flood disaster which took place just before the Eid al-Adha festival. The IHH assumed the construction of a house for a flood victim family there.
IHH teams also made inspections at the construction site of an orphanage whose foundation was laid in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Another site for a new orphanage was found by the IHH officials who found out that the number of orphans in Narathiwat has reached 3,000 due to decade-long conflicts.
When a benevolent Narathiwat resident vowed to donate his 6-acre land for the new orphanage, an IHH volunteer Ali Yeşil said he would assume the financing of the new orphanage.
During Pattani visit, IHH teams also paid visits to some mosques, orphanages, schools where they made donations in cash.
Known as Thai Muslims, Pattani Muslims have been suffering from Thailand’s oppression for years. Having no links with Thailand other than the abuse of their land by this country, the Pattani public has been making great efforts for years to protect their religion and cultural values. The struggle of this public which could not make their voices heard by the world so far continues today as well.
Thousands of people have been killed in Pattani over the past six years. Just as it is the case in all conflict areas in the world, children are the most victimized group here. There has been a sharp rise in the number of orphans due to assassinations and murders there. In Pattani which has a population of three million, the number of orphans is estimated to be more than 10,000. Most of Pattanis are of the Malay race.