Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said that, with
hindsight, her government could have better handled the situation in Rakhine
state that led to the forced displacement of more than 700,000 Rohingya
Muslims.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Vietnam
Thursday, Suu Kyi said her government had attempted to ensure "development
and rule of law" in the far western state.
"There are of course ways in which we, with
hindsight, might think that the situation could have been handled better,"
she said to Borge Brende, WEF President.
"But we believe that for the sake of long-term
stability and security we have to be fair to all sides. The rule of law must
apply to everybody. We cannot choose and pick whom should be protected by rule
of law," she said.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya were forced to flee
Rakhine into neighboring Bangladesh following a violent government crackdown in
August last year, precipitating one of Asia's worst refugee crisis.
Many of those who crossed the border have recounted
horrific stories of being driven from their homes under threat of death.
A Conversation with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi State Counsellor of Myanmar: https://youtu.be/RcirjxDoe7k
An independent United Nations investigation into alleged human rights abuses carried out against the Rohingya has called for Myanmar's military leaders to be investigated and prosecuted for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Myanmar's military has repeatedly denied that it has
deliberately attacked unarmed Rohingya.
Suu Kyi was also asked about the two Reuters journalists
who were jailed earlier this month for seven years after being found guilty of
breaching the country's Official Secrets Act, for their part in uncovering a
massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine.
She said the two men, Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28,
"were not jailed because they were journalists."
"I wonder whether very many people have actually
read the summary of the judgment which had nothing to do with freedom of
expression at all; it had to do with the Official Secrets Act. But I don't
think anybody has actually bothered to read it," she said, adding the two
men were free to appeal the judgment.
Intense criticism
UN investigators into the Rohingya crisis found that the
Myanmar's civilian government had "contributed to the commission of
atrocity crimes" through their "acts and omissions."
"The State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has not
used her de facto position as Head of Government, nor her moral authority, to
stem or prevent the unfolding events in Rakhine State," the report states.
Suu Kyi has faced intense criticism for her role in the
crisis, with international bodies calling for the Nobel Peace laureate to be
stripped of the honor.
Rohingya Crisis: https://edition.cnn.com/specials/asia/rohingya
Suu Kyi said her government had to accept responsibility
for the situation, despite "only having 75% of power, we have to accept
100% of the responsibility. That's what elected government is all about,"
she said Thursday, in reference to her government's power sharing arrangement
with the country's military chiefs.
The Myanmar state councilor told the WEF President the
planned repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya was on hold until the
refugees agree to return. "We cannot go fetch them from Bangladesh,"
she said.
'Point it out'
The plight of the two Reuters journalists has attracted
worldwide attention, with US Vice President Mike Pence calling on the Myanmar
government to free the pair, saying instead of being imprisoned they should be
"commended."
"Freedom of religion & freedom of the press are
essential to a strong democracy," Pence wrote in a post on Twitter.
The two men were originally detained in December 2017
after working on an investigation on the mass killing of a number of Rohingya
villagers in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
Reuters stands by the reporters and the investigation,
which included photographic evidence of the massacre.
Following their jailing, the wives of the two journalists
made an impassioned plea for their husbands' freedom, who they maintain are innocent. https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/04/asia/myanmar-journalists-wives-intl/index.html
"We admire (Suu Kyi) a lot -- me, Wa Lone, the
family -- we feel really sad that the leader that we admire is misunderstanding
us," journalist Wa Lone's wife, Pan El Mon, told reporters.
But Suu Kyi on Thursday challenged anyone who had a
problem with the judgment against two Reuters journalists to point out the
error to her.
"The case has been held in open court, and all the
hearings have been open to everybody who wished to go and attend them, and if
anybody feels that there has been a miscarriage of justice, I would like them
to point it out," she said.
Source: CNN