Rohingya refugees reject Suu Kyi's claim


FE Team | Published: September 19, 2017 17:26:12 | Updated: October 24, 2017 23:07:18


Photo: Reuters

Rohingya refugees rejected the claim of Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi that many members of the minority group were safe in Myanmar, reports Al Jazeera.

 

In a sprawling and squalid camp on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, Rohingya refugees on Tuesday said Suu Kyi's vow to repatriate displaced Rohingya carried no weight.

 

"Suu Kyi is a traitor. We can't rely on her words," said Sultan Ahmed, who arrived in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh along with hundreds of thousands of refugees two weeks ago.

 

The 80-year-old said that he did not believe the de facto leader would act on her words because "everything is run and decided by the army".

 

Suu Kyi "is only a name there. Nobody cares about her," he said.

 

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate faced fierce international criticism for saying little about the abuses faced by the Rohingya.

 

She broke her silence on Tuesday, condemning "all human rights violations" in Rakhine State, and vowing to take action against those who commit abuses.

 

However, she failed to comment on the military offensive that sent more than 420,000 Rohingya pouring across the border into Bangladesh, an operation the UN has branded as "ethnic cleansing".

 

Abdul Hafiz, a Rohingya man in Kutupalong, was angered by Suu Kyi's implication that Rohingya were themselves responsible for their plight.

 

"Let them see the plight of the people there," Hafiz told a news agency.

 

"They have kept people in confinement. Let the world media know from them whether we are tortured or living in joy," he said.

 

Shah Ahmed, a 60-year-old refugee who fled Maungdaw in northern Rakhine State two weeks ago, said he also no longer trusted Suu Kyi.

 

But he claimed he was ready to return to his village if her government would "ensure peace, our safety and return of our property".

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