Suu Kyi denies ethnic cleansing of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims
Suu Kyi
'I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening,' she told the BBC
Aung San Suu Kyihas denied the ethnic cleansing of Myanmar's Muslim minority, speaking to the BBC after the UN rights council agreed to investigate allegations against the army.
"I don't think there is ethnic cleansing going on.I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening,"SuuKyisaid in the interview televised on Wednesday.
Her one-year-old government has faced international condemnation for the treatment of thecountry's Rohingya Muslims, who are regarded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, prompting the UN rights council to agree last month to launch an investigation into violations against the minority.
The Geneva-based body's fact-finding mission will examine allegations of torture, murder and rape allegedly committed by troops.
SuuKyitold the BBC there was "a lot of hostility" in the western state of Rakhine, where more than one million Rohingya live.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Your reckoning has come': Iran's AI video response to Trump's Jesus Christ image amid Pope row
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
‘Mine clearance’: How the US Navy deals with underwater mine risks
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Rich Starry, Chinese-linked tanker that passed Strait of Hormuz, makes a U-turn
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
American men will be automatically registered for military draft as per a law signed by Trump, who never served in the military
)
South Africa name women’s T20I squad for India series; Wolvaardt to lead, Kapp misses out
)
Indian Army Chief Joins To Pay Tribute to Kargil Hero Col Sonam Wangchuk
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (April 13-19, 2026): Euphoria S3, Toaster, Matka King- 6 latest movies and TV shows coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Anchor Chains': Why the USS Abraham Lincoln's massive chains don't rust together
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Will someone please tell him...': Trump has a 'Iran nuclear bomb' message for Pope Leo days after branding him ‘weak’
)
PM Balen Shah’s India visit to feature new projects, MOUs and foundation stones, says Nepal envoy Sharma
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
'Pure Water': Why the USS Abraham Lincoln boils seawater just to launch its fighters
)
Beyond the fame: Asha Bhosle quietly grieved the loss of her two children, Hemant and Varsha
)
Eric Swalwell controversy: Anna Paulina Luna alleges jailtime, wife Brittany Watt maintains silence
)
Amazon worker dies at Oregon warehouse, operations continued around body. Here’s what we know
)
Colombia will kill Pablo Escobar's 80 'cocaine hippos'. Here's why
)
IPL 2026: ‘I can anchor, attack and finish, whatever the team needs', says 21-year-old Kumar Kushagra
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 Indian batters fastest to 1000 runs in T20Is
"It is Muslimskilling Muslims, as well, if they think they are collaborating with authorities.
"It is not just a matter of ethnic cleansing.It is a matter of people on different sides of a divide, and this divide we are trying to close up. As best as possible and not to widen it further," she said.
Myanmar has launched its own domestic probe into possible crimes in Rahkine and appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan to head a commission tasked with healing long-simmering divisions between Buddhists and Muslims.
SuuKyisaid the army was "not free to rape, pillage and torture".
"They are free to go in and fight.And of course, that is in the constitution... Military matters are to be left to the army," she said, adding that she aimed to amend the constitution.
Almost 75,000 people from the persecuted minority have escaped to Bangladesh after the military launched operations in the north of Rakhine state to find Rohingya militants who raided police border posts in October.
Rohingya who have fled have told UN rights office that soldiers executed babies in front of their mothers, as part of a campaign to terrorise the Muslim minority.
(AFP)