De facto leader calls Rohingya crackdown a
response to 'terrorist attack
In a 30-minute interview with the Nikkei
Asian Review in Tokyo, where she was visiting to attend the enthronement of the
Japanese emperor, Suu Kyi also said the crackdown against the Muslim minority
group Rohingya was in response to a "terrorist attack."
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi scolds world for
lacking focus on Rakhine 'terrorists' https://str.sg/JUho
"We are disappointed in the fact that
the international community has paid very little attention to the terrorist
element of the problems in Rakhine," she said, referring to Myanmar's
southwestern state where most Rohingya reside. She added that "we
understand their concerns about human rights."
OHCHR | UN Independent International
Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar calls on UN Member States to remain vigilant in
the face of the continued threat of genocide https://shar.es/aXNwqD
Decades long military rule has resulted in
long-standing conflicts in Myanmar. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, led
her ruling party National League for Democracy to a historic victory in the
2015 election and raised hopes for bringing peace and economic development to a
country that is often dubbed Asia's last frontier.
In reality, the military still holds
significant power, partly due to a clause in the constitution that guarantees
25% of seats in parliament are allotted to the military. Suu Kyi said
amendments to the clause as well as other parts of the constitution are
necessary to realize a "complete democracy."
The clause gives the military a virtual veto
on amending the constitution, raising doubts over the chance of it being
carried out. While the parliament formed a joint committee to discuss the
constitutional amendments, Suu Kyi said the "military are not overly
enthusiastic," and indicated that the issue will be addressed during her
next term if she wins the 2020 election. "We are not building hopes for
the next election on our ability to bring about constitutional amendments
within the next year," she said.
Meanwhile, Suu Kyi has faced mounting
criticism over her silence regarding the crackdown on the country's Rohingya by
security forces in 2017, which sent more than 700,000 of the minority group
fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh.
"It is not a religious issue as some
people are trying to make it out to be. It is very much an economic and social
issue," said Suu Kyi. She added that her administration had been aware of
the instability in Rakhine since it assumed power in March 2016 and had
appointed former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to oversee an advisory
commission. The crackdown came right after his commission released its report.
"We are of the opinion that there are
certain extremist elements who do not want peace in the Rakhine, who did not
want a solution to the problems in Rakhine," she said.
Pressure from the international community has
not abated. In July, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Myanmar military
Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing and other senior officers, accusing them of
human rights violations against Rohingya. Asked whether a solution is necessary
to extend business ties with the U.S. and Europe, Suu Kyi responded by saying
that "we want to solve this problem not in order to advance business ties
with any other countries but because it's necessary for the peace and stability
of our country."
The backlash from the U.S. over the Rohingya
situation has brought Myanmar's relations with China into focus. With a land
area greater than Thailand and bordering China in the north, Myanmar is of
strategic importance to Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
Suu Kyi played down the growing influence of
China, saying that "we have good relations with China and we want to
maintain good relations with countries all over the world."
"Our country has maintained a very
neutral and, in my opinion, very [common sense] foreign policy ever since we
became independent," she said, adding that any investment should be
"mutually beneficial."
A charismatic figure who has driven Myanmar's
democratic movement for three decades, Suu Kyi will be 75 when the election is
held next year. Questions have arisen over the lack of a clear successor, which
is key to carrying out her policies in the future.
Her National League for Democracy party has
"a very fixed hierarchy" that she hopes will "be
maintained," Suu Kyi said, indicating that her successor may come from
within NLD's senior leadership.
Asked whether she has plans to retire, she
responded, "We always have several plans... You can't just depend on one
plan for the future."
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