Sanctions needed against Myanmar, says local Rohingya man

A local Rohingya Canadianis calling on the Canadian government to do more to help the people who are enduring a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in southeast Asia.

Raees Ahmed said while he respects Bob Rae,who was appointed specialenvoy to Myanmarearlier this week,Canada needs more than symbolic gestures to address the ongoing situation.

"This is a response, but it is not a concrete response and is not a concrete action," he told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning.

He wants the Canadian government to consider sanctions against theMyanmargovernment.

"We need to impose a total arms embargo. We need to put in sanctions so that the [Myanmargovernment] feels the brunt of it and sees consequences out of it," he said.

Aid blocked in certain regions

While the federal and provincial governmentshave each promised aid to groups assisting theRohingyapeople in the small south Asian country,Ahmedis concerned about how that aid will reach people since access by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, has been blocked to the hard-hitRakhinestate.

These people, they do not only lack food, water, healthcare, shelter. They lack human rights.- RaeesAhmed

He suggests peacekeepers should be sent to the region, along with theDisaster Assistance Response Team (DART).They couldbuild a water filtration system for the refugees, he added, asmany arebeing forced to drink from a river where bodies have been found.

'They lack human rights'

Ahmedis no stranger to refugees, having visited Haiti and South African camps, but his voice broke as he talked about the conditions in Bangladesh, which has accepted around 900,000 refugees who have fled there.

"What I've seen in Bangladesh is a different story these people, they do not only lack food, water, healthcare, shelter. They lack human rights."

With the ongoing crisis,Ahmedsaid he expects a similar investigation into reported human rights atrocities similar to whatfollowed after the Rwandan genocide.

But in the meantime, he wants Canadians to take notice and not just when they turn on their TV.

"As a Canadianimagine yourself in the shoes of somebody who has seen their neighbour hacked to death. Imagine yourself as somebody who has seen a child burned alive," he said.

"Are you just going to watch and just let it go? Are you going to bear the fact that this is happening just because that individual is of another ethnicity, of another colour, of another race? Those are also human beings."