Suu Kyi mum on Rohingya horrors
Fails to address ‘ethnic cleansing’
MYANMAR leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday 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 against Rohingya Muslims.
The Nobel Peace laureate’s remarks came in her first address to the nation since attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on August 25 sparked a military response that has forced more than 410 000 Rohingya 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 a barrage of global criticism for Myanmar.
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.
“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,” Suu Kyi said.
Long fêted in the West for her role as 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 the abuses faced by the Rohingya.
The US urged Myanmar on Monday to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians.
Myanmar’s generals remain in charge of security and Suu Kyi did not comment on the military operation, except to say there had been “no armed clashes and no clearance operations” since September 5.
Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh have told of soldiers and Buddhist civilians attacking and burning villages as recently as last Friday. It was not possible to verify their accounts.
Rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the army and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes have mounted a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Muslim population.
The UN rights agency described it as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Myanmar rejects that, saying its forces are carrying out operations to defend against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa), which has claimed responsibility for attacks since October.
The government declared Arsa a terrorist body and accused it of setting fires and attacking civilians.
Western governments that backed Suu Kyi’s campaign against military rule still see her as the best hope for Myanmar’s political and economic transition.
But she has to avoid angering the powerful army.
She also has to avoid alienating her supporters by being seen to take the side of a Muslim minority that enjoys little sympathy, and has been blamed for initiating violence in a country that has seen a surge of Buddhist nationalism.
Some diplomats said after the speech Suu Kyi had yet to fully address the problem.
Thousands of supporters gathered in the main city of Yangon and other towns to watch the speech on big screens. Social media saw a blizzard of posts with the message: “We stand with Aung San Suu Kyi.”
A military spokesperson was not available for comment.
Phil Robertson, of Human Rights Watch, said satellite images showed about half of all Rohingya villages had been torched and it was time that Suu Kyi, the government and military faced the fact that the security forces “don’t follow a code of conduct and shoot and kill who they want” and burn villages.
Amnesty International said there was “overwhelming evidence” the security forces were engaged in ethnic cleansing.