Stop killings or lose freedom of city, MP tells Nobel winner

Hundreds gather to demand action over Myanmar refugees

Civic leaders should consider stripping a Nobel Peace Prize winner of the freedom of the Dundee over what has been described as the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, a city MP has said.

Aung San Suu Kyi is de facto leader of Myanmar – formerly known as Burma – but has so far not acted to halt an army offensive against the Muslim minority group.

Nearly half a million refugees have fled to Bangladesh because of the offensive, which the United Nations has said amounts to ethnic cleansing.

She was awarded the Freedom of Dundee in 2008, having been kept under house arrest in Burma for years by the military junta.

Nearly 200 people attended a demonstration in Dundee City Square yesterday protesting against what speakers termed genocide.

UN general secretary Antonio Guterres has said Suu Kyi must use her address to the country on Tuesday to speak out against the military.

So far she has defended their actions and blamed “fake news”, despite testimony from refugees describing how the military burned villages and subjected them to brutal attacks in a bid to drive them from their homes.

Speaking before the rally, Dundee East SNP MP Stewart Hosie said the city should consider stripping her of her honour if she continues to sit back and do nothing to halt the ethnic cleansing.

“What the UN said was that she is on her last chance and I think that is appropriate for the Freedom of the City as it is for her Nobel Peace Prize,” he said. “If she doesn’t take action to stop the genocide then all options are on the table.”

Dundee West SNP MP Chris Law added: “Silence is not an option and Aung San Sui Kyi must now speak out against this and bring a swift end to this violence against people of her own nation.”

A member of the International Development Committee, he intends to visit Myanmar and Bangladesh to see first-hand what is happening.

There were a number of speakers at the event, organised by the Union of Dundee Mosques, including representatives from the Sikh community and the Church of Scotland.

Organiser Qaiser Habib said he was pleased at the turnout for the event.

Bashir Chohan the chairman of Dundee Islamic Society, described events in Myanmar as a “holocaust”.

Among those attending were Mohammed Bhatti from Broughty Ferry and his nine-year-old daughter Sarah.

She said: “Killing people is unfair. We should treat everybody the same.”

Pictures: Kris Miller. Above: protesters in Dundee voice anger over the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Left Qaiser Habib, who organised the event Below: Dundee West MP Chris Law adresses the crowds.