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Rohingya crisis: Suu Kyi does not fear global 'scrutiny' Rohingya crisis: Suu Kyi does not fear global 'scrutiny'
(about 2 hours later)
Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi says she does not fear "international scrutiny" of her government's handling of the growing Rohingya crisis. Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said her government does not fear "international scrutiny" of its handling of the growing Rohingya crisis.
It was her first national address on the violence in northern Rakhine state that has seen more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims cross into Bangladesh. It was her first address to the country about the violence in northern Rakhine state that has seen more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims cross into Bangladesh.
She said that most Muslims had not fled the state and that violence had ceased.
Ms Suu Kyi has faced heavy criticism for her response to the crisis.Ms Suu Kyi has faced heavy criticism for her response to the crisis.
The current spate of violence began in August when there was an armed attack on police posts, blamed on Rohingya militants. But she said most Muslims had not fled the state and that violence had ceased.
That lead to a massive security crackdown by the military, which the UN's human rights chief later called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". In her speech to Myanmar's parliament, Aung San Suu Kyi said she felt "deeply" for the suffering of "all people" in the conflict, and that Myanmar was "committed to a sustainable solution… for all communities in this state".
Rohingya Muslims started leaving in vast numbers crossing into Bangladesh with tales of their villages were being burned and saying were facing persecution at the hands of the military. Ms Suu Kyi, who has decided not to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this week, said she nevertheless wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government.
The military says its operations in the northern Rakhine state are aimed at rooting out militants, and denies targeting civilians. What is the crisis about?
Rakhine has faced unrest and sporadic violence for years, but the current crisis began in August with an armed attack on police posts which killed 12 people.
That was blamed on a newly emerged militant group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa).
The Rohingya are denied citizenship and equal opportunities by the Myanmar government, which says they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They are largely despised by the wider Burmese population.
The attack lead to a massive security crackdown by the military, which the UN's human rights chief later said seemed like a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".
Rohingya Muslims started leaving in vast numbers, crossing into Bangladesh with tales of their villages being burned and saying they were facing persecution at the hands of the military. Thousands of Rohingya had already fled to Bangladesh in recent years.
Access is restricted to the area, but on a government-controlled trip for journalists the BBC found reason to question the official narrative that Muslims were setting fire to their own villages.Access is restricted to the area, but on a government-controlled trip for journalists the BBC found reason to question the official narrative that Muslims were setting fire to their own villages.
Ms Suu Kyi said she was making this speech because she was unable to travel to the UN General Assembly later this week. What did Suu Kyi say in her the speech?
She said she wanted the international community to know what was being done by her government to address the situation. The Myanmar government does not use the term Rohingya - calling the group Bengali Muslims instead - and Ms Suu Kyi did not do so in her speech.
"We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence. We are committed to the restoration of peace and stability and rule of law throughout the state," Ms Suu Kyi said in her address in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw. Delivering her address in a tone of measured defiance, she said she and her government "condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence".
She did not address the allegations against the military, saying only that there had been "no armed clashes or clearance operations" since 5 September. Among the key points:
In a comment being widely criticised by observers, Ms Suu Kyi said most Muslims had decided to stay in Rakhine and that indicated the situation may not be so severe. How was the speech received?
She said she wanted to speak to both Muslims that had fled and those that had stayed to find out what was at the root of the crisis. Ms Suu Kyi still has considerable support in her home country, where she was a political prisoner for years before coming to power.
Ms Suu Kyi has earlier claimed that the narrative was being distorted by a "huge iceberg of misinformation" and said tensions were being fanned by fake news promoting the interests of terrorists. But her speech has been widely criticised for failing to address the allegations of abuse by the military.
While Ms Suu Kyi is the de facto head of the civilian government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, it is the military which holds real power in Rakhine state as it is in charge of internal security. The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Myanmar's capital, Nay Pyi Taw, said Aung San Suu Kyi was "either completely out of touch or wilfully blind to the realities".
He cast doubt on the claim the government has improved the situation for the Muslims in Rakhine state, saying there was no equal access to healthcare and education.
The promise that the Rohingya will be able to return once verified is also problematic, he says, as few will have the paperwork to back up their claim.
The BBC's Jonathan Head, who is in neighbouring Bangladesh, disputed the claim that there had been no clearance operations since 5 September, pointing out that he had seen villages being burned days after that date.
Amnesty International said Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was "burying her head in the sand" by ignoring the abuses by the army.
"At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming," the rights group's director for South East Asia and the Pacific, James Gomes, said in a statement.
What is Myanmar's position?
While Ms Suu Kyi is the de facto head of the government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, it is the military which holds real power in Rakhine state as it is in charge of internal security.
The Burmese military says its operations in the northern Rakhine state are aimed at rooting out militants, and has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.
Ms Suu Kyi has previously said the narrative was being distorted by a "huge iceberg of misinformation" and said tensions were being fanned by fake news promoting the interests of terrorists.