Suu Kyi must speak for Rohingya

The Rohingya Muslim minority of Myanmar has long suffered discrimination, persecution and violence. However, as a new horrific wave of brutality has swept over Rakhine state, where most of the country’s Rohingya live in poverty, the question that has been asked over and over must now be shouted: when will Aung San Suu Kyi — the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, icon of democracy and de facto leader of the country — stand up for the democratic rights of this persecuted group?

The latest violence began with an August 25 attack by Rohingya insurgents on 30 police posts and an army base that left 12 security officers and 77 insurgents dead, according to the Myanmar government. The government has responded to the attack with a sweeping scorched-earth campaign, killing hundreds of Rohingya civilians and burning their villages. (The government says the Rohingya burned down their own villages but offers no proof of that.)

This time, the violence has triggered an exodus of more than 120,000 desperate people fleeing on foot through mud and over hilly terrain, mostly to neighbouring Bangladesh, where conditions are grim if not quite as dangerous. The million or so who remain face an increasing risk of food shortages and additional violence, according to Amnesty International.

The stateless Rohingya are seen by the Buddhist majority and the government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, as little more than trespassers in the country. They have been denied citizenship, access to healthcare and education and other rights.

It is unconscionable for a military to respond to attacks by killing civilians and obliterating whole villages. Around the world, Suu Kyi is revered as an advocate for human rights. She endured 15 years of house arrest under the former military government. She must speak out. Los Angeles, September 6.