Suufreedom of city honour is withdrawn
GLASGOW City Council has voted to remove the offer of the freedom of the city from embattled leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Nobel laureate has been criticised for failing to speak up in defence of the Rohingya, a persecuted minority in majority-Buddhist Myanmar.
In the past months some 600,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee the country, reporting murder, rape and arson at the hands of Myanmar’s security forces.
At full council on Thursday, councillor Soryia Siddique put forward a motion to withdraw the freedom of the city offer from the political leader.
Last month Glasgow city councillors agreed to write to Ms Suu Kyi to raise their “concerns” over their situation and to condemn the ongoing violence.
Lord Provost Eva Bolander received a response from the Burmese leader and councillors have now gone ahead and withdrawn the honour as she failed to condemn the violence and the situation has not improved.
Ms Siddique said: “In light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar of the Rohingya people, various UK cities have now revoked the freedom of their city from Aung San Suu Kyi.
“I am delighted today there was cross party support for my motion to withdraw the offer of the freedom of Glasgow City Council from Aung San Suu Kyi. The city’s reputation could have been tarnished by continuing to honour those that turn a blind eye to violence.”
Glasgow City Council offered the freedom of the city on Ms Suu Kyi in 1997, when she was being held as a political prisoner by Myanmar’s military junta.
Ms Suu Kyi recently outlined a new plan to end the conflict and bring more development to Rakhine. She said this would be done by the civilian government, in partnership with local business groups and foreign donors.
However, international aid agencies are still not being allowed full access to the affected areas. And there has been no agreement yet with the Bangladesh government over how to repatriate the Rohingya refugees.
The Rohingya, a stateless mostly Muslim minority in Buddhist-majority Rakhine, have long experienced persecution in Myanmar.