SPEECH: Motion to Revoke the Honourary Citizenship Bestowed to Aung San Suu Kyi

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On October 3, 2018 the Senate of Canada adopted a motion introduced by Senator Ratna Omidvar to revoke the honourary Canadian citizenship of Aung San Suu Kyi. The motion mirrored one that was unanimously passed by the House of Commons the week prior, and allowed the Senate to recognize that the recent crimes against the Rohingya constitute genocide.

Honourable Senators: I rise today to call on this chamber to take action concerning the violent persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar.  Whilst the motion tabled before you is in my name, I would like to recognize the collective efforts of Senator Attaullajan, Senator McPhedran, Senator Jaffer, Senator Munson and others for pursuing this in the chamber and on committee.

Honourable Senators: the motion before you today does two things.  First, like in the other place, the Senate would: Endorse the findings of the UN Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar that crimes against humanity have been committed by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities and that these horrific acts were sanctioned at the highest levels of the Myanmar military chain of command; recognize that these crimes against the Rohingya constitute a genocide; welcome the recent decision of the International Criminal Court that it has jurisdiction over the forced deportation of members of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh; call on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court; and call for the senior officials in the Myanmar military chain of command to be investigated and prosecuted for the crime of genocide.

Secondly, it seeks to revoke the honorary citizenship bestowed to Aung San Suu Kyi on October 17, 2007.

The first part of my motion was moved in the House by MP Andrew Leslie on September 20 and the second part, dealing with stripping honorary Canadian citizenship was moved a week later by Bloc MP Gabriel Ste-Marie on September 27. Both motions were unanimously accepted and approved by all corners of the House, indicating the other places strong and undivided commitment.

Honourable Senators: I believe it is hard for us to understand or imagine the scale of suffering in Myanmar.   But now we have evidence from the UN fact finding mission to lend credence to the horrifying narrative.

Based on 875 interviews, the report’s findings paint a picture of horror and violence against the Rohingya in Rakhine State. They document how the Tatmadaw (the military) planned and took the lead in killing thousands of Rohingya civilians, how they systematically committed forced disappearances, ethnic cleansing, mass gang rape and the burning of hundreds of villages.

There is even more granular detail to help us get the full picture.

  • Over 392 villages were partially or totally destroyed, encompassing 40% of northern Rakhine settlements or at least 37,700 individual structures
  • Over 725,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh by August 2018 following the ‘clearance operations’ of Myanmar military
  • The Mission has verified 9 mass killings. In some of these, hundreds of Rohingya were killed
  • All told they have documented at least 10,0000 deaths due to the violence

The report also outlines 54 violent “clearance operations” perpetrated by the military and 22 first-hand accounts of additional operations. All of them follow the same sick and horrific  pattern. Villages were surrounded and civilians died in the indiscriminate shooting. Others were killed in targeted executions. Men were rounded up and taken away, never to be seen again. Children were also targeted and killed. Women and girls were raped or gang raped together. Villages were burned to the ground. People were burned alive, especially children, the elderly and disabled, who were unable to flee. Others were forced into burning houses. And many died during the long and arduous escape to Bangladesh.

Marzuki Darusman, chair of the mission said “I have never been confronted by crimes as horrendous and on such a scale as these.”

The report concluded that “the perpetrators of the gross human rights violations and international crimes, committed in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan States must not go unpunished…Top generals should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in Rakhine State.”

Special Envoy to Myanmar, Bob Rae, shared much of the same view. He said “there is clear evidence to support the charge that crimes against humanity have been committed”.

Honourable Senators: We must recognize this atrocity for what it is. It is genocide. We must call as it is. That will be beginning of calling the perpetrators to account and for the crimes to be punished. At the same time, we must support the Rohingya people that have fled into Bangladesh and must not forget the people that lost their lives.

Honourable Senators: On October 17, 2007, this chamber rightfully and unanimously supported the honorary citizenship of Aung San Suu Kyi. At that point, she was a champion for change and human rights and was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize.  The world pinned its hope on her as the shining light and hope for a democratic and peaceful  Myanmar.

As we all now know, that was not to be.

Although the constitution of Myanmar gives considerable power to the military, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi is a very powerful person. She is the leader of the National League for Democracy and the first and incumbent State Counsellor, a position akin to a prime minister. She is also the first woman to serve as Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the President’s Office, for Electric Power and Energy, and for Education. This is not someone who has no power as she has suggested.  Instead, as respected human rights expert Irwin Cottler has stated: “ She’s denied the atrocities, restricted access to international monitors and investigators, weaponized the denial of humanitarian aid and, when two Reuters journalists who were reporting on the killings of Rohingya were unjustly imprisoned last week, she defended it as being part of a proper process.”  She is therefore complicit in this matter.

We need to send a strong signal here in Canada and around the world that if you’re an accomplice of a genocide, you are not welcome here. Certainly not as an honorary Canadian citizen.

Stripping her of her honorary citizenship may not make a tangible difference to her, but it sends an important symbolic message. She has been complicit in stripping the citizenship and the security of thousands of Rohingya, which has led to their flight, their murder, their rapes and their current deplorable situation. It is an appropriate message to send to her, to Myanmar and to the world.

We also must come together with our colleagues in the other place and have a unified voice. By supporting this motion all parliamentarians, of all political and partisan persuasion, will be of one voice condemning this atrocity and revoking Aung San Suu Kyi honorary citizenship.

Finally, I would like to say that this crisis is not over. As of August 2018, close to 2000 Rohingya continue to flee each month to Bangladesh. This is the result of ongoing violence and oppression. We still have a humanitarian crisis where hundreds of thousands continue to live in refugee camps.

Bangladesh is a small country that, in a spirit of generosity, has opened its borders to the Rohingya. We must stand by their side as this poor nation faces the challenge of providing for these people.  We must back national and international NGOs to reach local communities with help and support.

In the long term, Canada must be a partner in the building and sustainable development of a peaceful federation in Myanmar. This requires more diplomatic engagement, more aid and supplies, and more of our attention over time.

Please join me in voting for this motion. By doing so, you will be sending a signal that we have consensus, across party lines and group,  both here on Parliament Hill and across our country.

This will further demonstrate that there is political will to bolster Canada’s humanitarian assistance contributions; that there is  support for Canadian diplomacy; and that there is a  strong desire to help the most vulnerable on the one hand and to bring the  perpetrators of these crimes and violations within Myanmar’s military to justice on the other.

I ask that you support this motion.

Thank you.

 

Round-up of media coverage:

New York Times | Canada Revokes Honourary Citizenship of Aung San Suu Kyi

Aljazeera | Canada revokes Myanmar leader’s honourary citizenship

Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Canada strips Aung San Suu Kyi of her honourary citizenship

Globe and Mail | Senate votes unanimously to strip Aung San Suu Kyi’s honourary Canadian citizenship

CBC | Senate votes to strip Aung San Suu Kyi of honourary Canadian citizenship

Canadian Press | Parliament formally strips Aung San Suu Kyi of honourary Canadian citizenship

CTV News | Aung San Suu Kyi no longer an honourary Canadian citizen

Huffington Post | Senate Moves to Revoke Aung San Suu Kyi’s Honourary Canadian Citizenship

Hindustan Times | Canada Parliament revokes Aung San Suu Kyi’s honourary citizenship

WATCH: Press Conference on Revoking the Honourary Canadian Citizenship of Aung San Suu Kyi: