Parliament Hill rally demands attacks on Rohingya Muslims be declared genocide

On a brilliant summer day, the horrifying accounts of Rohingyanrefugees fleeing massacres in Myanmar rang out across thelawn on Parliament Hill.

The voicesofmothers who had children torn from their arms, ofmen beaten while their villages burned, blared from loudspeakers set up Saturday on the hill invitingeveryone who walked beneath the Peace Tower to stop and reflect.

The Ottawa demonstration waspart of a countrywide day of remembrance, organized by human rights activistslobbying the Canadian government to declare Myanmar's actions against its Muslim minority populationan act of genocide.

'It meets all the criteria'

It has been one year since stories emerged of hundreds of thousands ofRohingyansfleeing Myanmar, followingcoordinated attacks by thearmy and local militias.

The United Nations has called those attacksa "textbook example of ethniccleansing."

"It's a genocide because it meets all the criteria of genocide," said FareedKhanof the RohingyaHuman Rights Network.

Khan said the Canadian governmentneeds to invoke the United NationsConvention on the Prevention and Punishment ofthe Crime ofGenocide against Myanmar to seek justice for the victims and to begin the process of solving the root problems.

"[Invoking the convention] means actions can be taken through the UN and other forums to bringto justice the actual perpetrators of genocide, and to start dealing with the on-the-ground problems that are the source of the crisis in Myanmar and in Bangladesh," said Khan.

Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the violencehave ended up in refugee camps inneighbouring Bangladesh.

No other country has invoked the convention, but Khan said Canada should lead the way.

"We can't do anything about other countries, but we can ask our own government to take action on that front," he said. "Especially if we're going around the world declaring our commitment to human rights."

$45M pledge

Canada has already condemned the violence and has pledged more than $45 million to help the 700,000 Rohingyans who are living in the Bangladesh refugee camps but that's not enough for Raiss Tinmaung.

Tinmaungis Rohingyan-Canadian. Hisparents were born in Myanmar and immigrated to Canada decades ago, but he still has relatives in the southeast Asian country.

If we fail Rohingya, we fail other ethnicities. We fail humanity.- RaissTinmaung

Tinmaungsaid he'sparticularly concerned about his cousin's family, who are living in fear in MaungdawTownship in western Myanmar.

"The last conversation we had, he said he wasn't allowed to go out after 6 p.m.It only applies to Muslims. His kids aren't allowed to study and they're not allowed to go to school." Tinmaung said.

"The tension and notion of fear is all over the place."

This past winter, Tinmaungtravelled to Bangladesh andspent one monthinterviewingRohingyan refugees for the Shoah Foundation out of theUniversity of Southern California.

The Ottawa resident said he spoke to more than 100 Rohingyans who toldhim stories of being terrorized, of mutilations and of rapes.

He's concerned that if Canada doesn't take stronger action, the violence in Myanmar will continue.

"If we fail Rohingya, we fail other ethnicities," Tinmaung said. "We fail humanity."