STEP UP FOR THE ROHINGYA

It’s hard to square the outpouring of sympathy Canadians have shown for Syrian refugees with their seeming apathy in the case of Myanmar’s Rohingya, who have been grappling with violence for years. In recent weeks, around 300,000 of them have fled their homes in the state of Rakhine.

Yet there are similarities between both crises. Just as Syrian refugees chanced crossing the Mediterranean, Rohingya have been scrambling aboard boats to get to Bangladesh, and many, mostly women and children, have died.

There have been harrowing tales of abuse by Myanmar’s (formerly Burma’s) security forces. Villagers from Tula Toli told of babies tossed into the river to drown, villages have been torched, and there are allegations that security forces have burned people alive inside their huts. Farida Deif, the Canada director of Human Rights Watch, says this has all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing: the systematic killing or removal of a certain group from a territory.

Canada could do something about the Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority, just as it showed leadership with the Syrians. We could be an international leader in offering refugee status to some of those who’ve fled their homes and want to live in peace in Canada. If Canada is stepping up, surely other nations can do so as well

Human Rights Watch also wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to press Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to allow humanitarian aid into the Rohingya area, stop the military campaign against the minority group and allow in a UN fact-finding mission.

Few refugees from Myanmar are in Canada already, given the hardship of getting here.

Accepting refugees isn’t a simple process. While the Rohingya in general are heavily persecuted, some are also part of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a violent insurgent group. The latest flare-up of atrocities reportedly began after Rohingya militants attacked police outposts in Rakhine state.

But retaliation is no excuse for innocents to suffer; and Aung San Suu Kyi’s refusal to condemn what’s happening further emboldens the abuse.

Canada is used to dealing with the complexity of refugee situations; we’ve moved nimbly to help certain groups. Yazidi refugees, for example, were brought to Canada to escape the ravages of ISIL.

Canada’s path is clear. Push for reforms in Myanmar, yes, because that’s the only longterm solution. But, also, offer new, safe homes in Canada.

This government wants to lead the world in humanitarian action. Parliament returns to work Monday; let’s get it done.