The Rohingya are arguably the world’s most persecuted people.
Aside from their formal exclusion by Myanmar’s military government, there are a myriad of less evident ways the Rohingya, an ethnic, linguistic and religious minority have been marginalized, specifically in relation to the colour of their skin, their religion, and their identity. Many other ethnic minorities have suffered at the hands of Myanmar’s oppressive military regime, but the Rohingya’s very existence is threatened. Recently thousands have fled by boat, hoping to land safely in neighbouring countries, only to find themselves facing death as they are pushed back out to sea.
For too many years the international community has been, for the most part silent - and in spite of recent international attention to their plight , the Burmese authorities have showed no sign of changing their ways.
In 2006, five families of Rohingya were selected by the Canadian Government for resettlement. This made Canada the first country to formally resettle Rohingya, and many other developed countries have followed this lead.
Today there are over 300 Rohingya living in Canada and over a third of them live in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario.
Nur Hashim, who heads the Canadian Burmese Rohingya Organization, came here in 2007.
“We will always be thankful to Canada. We have no words to give thanks. Still we are very sorry for our people in Burma. Here we can buy fish and meat, and there they have nothing. I continue to work for my community here and in Burma. I try to be an ambassador and advocate for our cause. It is important that Canadian society knows what is going on.”
“In 1997 the camp authority started forced repatriation back to Burma. Eight thousand of us refused to take rations as a protest. You may remember it in the news… there was a protest at the camps and the police started beating the refugees and fired at them… some were shot dead, and some were sent to jail. My husband’s eye was hit with a rubber bullet and he lost his eye. I am still worried about my parents in Burma. My dream is to be back at home with my family.” - Almas
“1992 is when I fled to Bangladesh with my family. After three months they started forced repatriation back to Burma. They arrested my husband and my five year old started crying for Dad. The police hit him with his gun, and later my child died.
I had to sell the few belongings I had to pay for my husband’s release. But when I went to the prison he wasn’t there. The rumour was that he was dead.
At the Nayapera refugee camp they again wanted me to go back to Burma. I pleaded that I was waiting to see if my husband was alive. They gave me two weeks, and then I was forced back to Burma with my forty day old child. In Burma I had nobody… everyone I had was in refugee camps. After six months I travelled three days back to the border with Bangladesh and crossed.
While at the Gondun refugee camp with my sister in law, my situation was reported to the UNHCR and they gave me support, while I waited there patiently for my husband. Finally, after almost two years, I discovered that he was alive.
Now we have seven children. My eldest is 24 and youngest is 6. I hope one day they will be police officers and lawyers.” - Rabia
“I was in jail in Bangladesh for one year and nine months, just because I didn’t want to be sent back to Burma. I still have signs on my body from the beatings. They had us squished together like grapes…. seventeen people in one room. Now I just want to live peacefully here in Canada.” - Amir Hossan
“We feel like our people are caught between two big liars. If we go to Bangladesh we are told we are Rohingya from Burma, and if we go to Burma we are told we are Bengali. Here in Canada I’m trying to develop a life here with my wife and children. My one son is still in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, and that brings me a lot of sadness.” - Yonus
“On the one hand I am happy to be here in Canada, and happy to see my four kids alive and getting a good education, but on the other I am so concerned for the people dying… in the street, jungle, seas. I have been depressed since I was young... I’ve seen so many atrocities.
Here I can express my opinion regarding the story of our people freely. My family were victims of forced labour: poor people doing labour for free. My father and my brother would be taken away in the night and made to carry rations, construct buildings or do the night watch. Many people died.
Still today my family has to give rice to the authorities for free just to keep their property. Even if our people are educated, they are jobless. My cousin graduated from university, but he has no job.” - Ayasa