Suu Kyi blamed over Rohingya ‘genocide’

NOBEL peace laureate Malala Yousafzai and Asian Muslim countries have led a growing chorus of criticism at Myanmar and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi over the plight of its Rohingya Muslim minority.

Nearly 90,000 Rohingya people have flooded into Bangladesh in the past 11 days following a surge in fighting between militants and Myanmar’s military in the strife-torn western state of Rakhine.

The region bordering Bangladesh has seen tensions between Muslims and Buddhists for years, with the Rohingya forced to live under apartheidlike restrictions. Now there are claims of genocide.

The recent violence, which began 11 months ago when a small Rohingya militant group ambushed border posts, is the worst in years, with the UN saying Myanmar’s army may be “ethnically cleansing” the region in response. Ms Suu Kyi, a former prisoner of Myanmar’s junta, has come under increasing attack for not speaking out over the treatment of the Rohingya.

She has made no public comment since the latest fighting broke out on August 25.

“Every time I see the news, my heart breaks at the suffering of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar,” said Ms Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist who famously survived being shot in the head by the Taliban while a schoolgirl.

“For several years I have repeatedly condemned this tragic and shameful treatment. I am still waiting for my fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to do the same,” she added.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman also attacked Suu Kyi’s silence. “Previously she stood up for the principles of human rights. Now it seems she is doing nothing,” he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week accused Myanmar of “genocide”.

The growing crisis threatens Myanmar’s relations with Muslim neighbours such as Malaysia and Indonesia, where there is profound public anger over the issue.

Ms Suu Kyi’s defenders say she has limited control over the notoriously abusive and powerful military.