PM Harper Should Press President Thein Sein to Stop Rohingya and Burmese Muslims Ethnic and Religious Cleansing

From Windsor Muslim Community

For Immediate Release

Prime Minister Stephen Harper Should Press President Thein Sein to Stop Rohingya and Burmese Muslims Ethnic and Religious Cleansing

After decades of persecution, state sponsored deadly violence against the Rohingya and Kaman Muslims was carried out in Arakan in June and October 2012 that resulted in the killing of many thousands people, massive rape and large scale destruction of villages, homes and properties and displacement of about 150,000 Muslims. In addition the evidences of mass grave have been uncovered by creditable human rights groups. 

Although more than one year has passed from June 2012, still there is no improvement in the human rights situation of Rohingya people and violence spread to affect all Muslims of Burma. There is no change of attitude of the Burmese government and Rakhine Buddhists towards them. No action has yet been taken against the perpetrators. On the contrary, silence extermination of Rohingyas has been increasingly carried out forcing them to live in squalid living conditions in overcrowded displacement camps in segregation or apartheid like situation without basic freedom, adequate food, medical care, shelter, and sanitation, freedom of movement and access to education and opportunity to work. 

Crimes against humanity against the Muslims of Burma continue unabated. National or international humanitarian agencies have been blockaded and aid workers are restricted to reach the Rohingya camps and villages. People are dying of Malnutrition, starvation, infectious diseases. On top of that a discriminatory decree limiting Rohingya families to two children each has been imposed. 

Unfortunately powerful countries are giving little attention to the ‘humanitarian disaster’, ‘crimes against humanity’ and genocidal onslaughts being perpetrated against the Rohingyas and other Muslims or ethnic peoples in Burma. 

We urge the Canadian Government to put pressure on the Burmese to secure the followings:

1. To stop forthwith all human rights violations against the Rohingya and other Muslims in Burma. 
2. To ensure religious freedom, and reopen all mosques and schools in Arakan. 
3. To agree for an international investigation into the abuses against the Rohingya minority. 
4. To allow full, free and unimpeded humanitarian access to all those affected and needy regardless of registered or unregistered IDP camps.
5. To repeal or amend 1982 Citizenship Law to conform it to international human rights law standards ensuring full citizenship to Rohingyas.
6. To repudiate the discriminatory decree limiting Rohingya families to two children each. 

With respect to refugees and aid, we ask our Canadian Government to put pressure on neighbouring countries to accept refugees and treat them with dignity and to lead relief efforts in refugee camps.

For more information, please contact: 

Dr. Abdelkader Tayebi 

Cell: 519-999-1595 

E:mail: aktayebi@yahoo.com