Suu Kyi’s speech fails to impress
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE United Nations human rights investigators seek “full and unfettered” access to Myanmar
Aung San Suu Kyi failed to quell an international outcry in a muchanticipated nationwide address on Tuesday, with UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres urging the country hours later to halt its military campaign against Rohingya Muslims.
In her televised speech to the nation, Suu Kyi condemned human rights violations in Rakhine state and said violators would be brought to book, but she did not address UN accusations of a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the military.
This was the Nobel Peace laureate’s first address to the nation since attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on August 25 sparked a military response that has forced 421,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh. Western diplomats and aid officials, hoping for an unequivocal condemnation of violence and hate speech, welcomed the tone of Suu Kyi’s message, but some doubted if she had done enough to deflect global criticism.
“The authorities in Myanmar must end the military operations, and allow unhindered humanitarian access,” Guterres told the opening of the UN General Assembly. “They must also address the grievances of the Rohingya, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long.”
Human rights group Amnesty International described her speech as “little more than a mix of untruths and victim-blaming”, saying she and her government were “burying their heads in the sand” for ignoring the army’s role in the violence.
“We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence. We are committed to the restoration of peace and stability and rule of law throughout the state,” Suu Kyi said in the capital Naypyitaw.
“Action will be taken against all people, regardless of their religion, race and political position, who go against the law of the land and violate human rights.”
Long feted in the West as a champion of democracy in the Buddhist-majority country during years of military rule and house arrest, Suu Kyi has faced growing criticism for saying little about abuses faced by the Rohingya.
Myanmar’s generals remain in full charge of security and Suu Kyi did not comment on the military or its operation, except to say there had been “no armed clashes.
UN human rights investigators on Tuesday said they needed “full and unfettered” access to Myanmar to probe a grave and ongoing crisis.
“It is important for us to see with our own eyes the sites of these alleged violations”, the head of the UN-backed fact-finding mission, Marzuki Darusman, told the Human Rights Council.
“There is a grave humanitarian crisis underway that requires urgent attention”, he added, asking for access to the country.