Suu Kyi visits region torn by Rohingya conflict

Aung San Suu Kyi made her first visit as Myanmar’s leader to the conflict- torn region where more than h alfa million Rohingya Muslims have fled stateled violence.

Her visit to Rakhine state comes as Suu Kyi is under intense international scrutiny for her response to the exodus which has spiralled into Asia’s worst refugee crisis in decades. The UN has called it “ethnic cleansing”, and her government said it is working on a plan to repatriate those who fled to Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi arrived in the state capital, Sittwe, in the morning and headed to restive northern Rakhine where many Rohingya villages were located.

On Thursday, government spokesman Zaw Htay said that Ms Suu Kyi was “now in Sittwe and will go to Maungdaw and Buthiduang too”.