Ottawa urged to aid Rohingya after coup
Myanmar’s minorities now facing increased danger, advocates warn
The Canadian government is being urged to take swift action to help the Rohingyas in the wake of last week’s coup in Myanmar.
It’s been a desperate situation in recent years for the Rohingyas displaced under Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, advocates say, adding it’s only going to get worse under the military junta, which took over the country last Monday.
“There wasn’t much democracy anyway, because Aung San Suu Kyi and the government that was there were puppets. All the ethnic minorities that were persecuted are now directly under the military’s command and threats,” Raïss Tin Maung, founder of the Rohingya Human Rights Network in Canada, told the Star.
“The military is the authority now. There’s no filter, no check. Now it’s just unhindered, straight access to these villages for them to finish their unfinished business, in the very own words of the general.”
Tin Maung was referring to Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who currently presides over Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, and is widely deemed responsible for the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state, driving them out of the region and the country.
Suu Kyi, whose political party won the recent election, has been deposed and placed under house arrest.
On Monday, a national coalition of Canadian senators, politicians, academics, human rights and refugee groups issued a public letter, demanding Ottawa take swift actions to assist the Rohingyas and other minority groups. They also urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to resettle Rohingya refugees in Canada like it did 49,000 Syrian refugees in 2015 and 2016 through government and community sponsorship programs.
In 2018, Ottawa pledged $300 million over three years in humanitarian aid in response to the Rohingya crisis, but the money will run out by the end of March.
“The coup has made it even more vital for the international community to provide stable and predictable funding for the Rohingya refugees. We urge Canada to set an example and by its leadership convince the international community that the Rohingya people cannot be abandoned,” they said in the letter to Foreign Minister Marc Garneau.
“Clearly no political settlement is imminent that would permit the safe repatriation of the Rohingya to their homes in Myanmar, meaning that addressing the need for urgent financial aid must be an immediate political priority.”
There are about 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and another 600,000 displaced inside Myanmar, where the majority of people are Buddhists.
In September, Canada, along with the Netherlands, issued a statement to back the genocide case against Myanmar initiated by Gambia at the United Nations International Court of Justice. Supporters for the Rohingyas said Ottawa needs to act on its commitment now.
“We support the stated intention to intervene, but we’ve seen no follow-through or action,” said Sen. Marilou McPhedran of Manitoba in a prepared statement.
Tin Maung said the coalition hopes the Canadian government can act as soon as possible. “You cannot be quiet. If you’re quiet, you’re complacent. It’s going to give rise to more hate-driven and heinous crime,” he said. “Today, it’s Myanmar. Tomorrow is going to be elsewhere.”