Suu Kyi appealed for understanding of her nation’s ethnic complexities, and said the world should not forget the military operation was launched in response to attacks on security forces that the government has blamed on Muslim insurgents.
By putting forward this kind of inhuman explanation in the face of repeated killings, rapes and arsons perpetuated on Rohingya Muslims, Suu Kyi has exposed herself as not having the kind of leadership and courage she should have demonstrated as recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize Award.
The UN’s Human Rights Agency said this week that abuses suffered by the Rohingya may amount to crimes against humanity, repeating a statement it first made in a June report. The Rohingyas are not among the 135 ethnic groups recognised by law in Myanmar, where many majority Buddhists refer to them as “Bengalis” to indicate they regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. In northern Rakhine, one of the poorest parts of the country, Muslims outnumber the ethnic Rakhine population.
Suu Kyi identified Rakhine as one of the areas that required special attention from the outset of her term, nominating, Kofi Annan former Secretary General of the UN, in August to lead a taskforce to come up with long-term solutions to the problems of the divided state. The six Myanmar and three foreign commissioners, on their second trip to Rakhine, met community leaders, local government representatives and Muslims from camps for displaced people in the state capital of Sittwe.
The UN has said some 30,000 people have been internally displaced by the fighting and, while nearly 20,000 have had their deliveries of aid restored, around 130,000 are still not getting food and other assistance they had been receiving prior to the outbreak of violence.
While it is indeed true that the situation is complex it should not deter Myanmar from carrying out humanitarian actions to help its citizens. Not even recognizing Rohingyas as Myanmar citizens is a rigid stance of Myanmar which has to change to bring about progress. Burning entire villages by using helicopter gunships to take revenge against a strike on a border outpost, raping and killing, is a heavy handed asymmetric reaction to the situation on the ground.
We cannot be inhuman like the Myanmar government and refuse shelter to those fleeing the country for fear of life. We must not push back them just to be killed.
Our Foreign Ministry must show its ability to play an effective international role in protest of crime against humanity committed by Myanmar government. Not only that the Myanmar government is also committing an act of enmity by creating a refugee problem for us.
