Chittagong, Bangladesh: Rohingya living in Canada have requested help for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand through an appeal petition to John Baird, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, via honorable Member of Parliament Mr. Stephen Woodworth on June 30, according to Nur Hashim, the Chairperson of the Canadian Burmese Rohingya Organization (CBRO).

CBRO Members with Member of Parliament Mr. Stephen Woodworth


“The Rohingya in Canada (CBRO) had a meeting with Member of Parliament Mr. Stephen Woodworth of the Conservative Government in his office, Suite 12, 300 Victoria Street North, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada on June 30 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.”

“At the meeting, we explained to Mr. Woodworth about the situation of the Rohingya community from northern Arakan, Burma, where the authorities have imposed various restrictions on movement, education, marriage, etc.”

“We mainly focused on the 50,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees who are living in two camps (Lada and Kutupalong), and are being hindered by the UNHCR and the Government of Bangladesh to be officially registered.”

“More than 400,000 Rohingya refugees have returned back to Bangladesh after being repatriated to Arakan State against their will from 1992–2005. They are residing in various villages in the Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar district areas and Chittagong hill tracts, but their lives continue to be painfully difficult and a daily struggle.”

“In December 2008, approximately 1,000 persecuted Rohingya fled in rickety boats to Malaysia from Burma and Bangladesh to escape persecution, but unfortunately the Thai naval forces intercepted them and put them out to sea without food and water.”

“The CBRO submitted an appeal petition to John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, via Mr. Woodworth about human rights violations in Arakan State, Burma, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia,” Mohamed Ali, the General Secretary of the CBRO said.

“The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim Group, with a long history of inhabiting the Arakan area of Burma. They are not tolerated in the country because of their religion and ethnicity. The Burmese government has rejected and rendered them stateless in their own homeland. They are victims of systematic, persistent, and widespread human rights violations, including denial of citizenship rights, severe restrictions on freedom of movement, education, marriage, religion, forced labor, rape, land confiscation, arbitrary arrests, torture, extra-judicial killing and extortion on a daily basis. Today the Rohingya have become increasingly landless, jobless, homeless, handicapped, and the most persecuted group among the entire population of Burma,” according to the CBRO appeal petition.

“We are asking the Canadian government to increase Rohingya resettlement in Canada on humanitarian grounds. A total of 926 refugees have been resettled during the period of 2006–2010, most of them in Canada (309), Australia (242), UK (190), Ireland (82), New Zealand (56), USA (24), Sweden (19), and Norway (4). Canada is the first country that accepted Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh with a large number. The Bangladeshi Government has temporarily cancelled the resettlement program, and we are asking the Canadian government to work with the Bangladeshi government to continue the resettlement program. Since 2006, only around 900 Rohingya have been resettled by UNHCR in third countries, and that it is a slow process.”

“The CBRO requests the Canadian Government to increase the intake of Rohingya now living in UN official camps in Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand.”