Amnesty International: Aung San Suu Kyi has buried her head in the sand regarding the Rohingya issue

On Tuesday, September 19, Amnesty International responded to Aung San Suu Kyi's delayed reaction to the Rohingya Muslims issue, describing her remarks as a "mixture of lies and victim-blaming." Suu Kyi, who effectively leads the Myanmar government, condemned "illegal violence" and "all human rights violations" in the Muslim-majority Rakhine state for the first time since the violence began and the displacement of hundreds of thousands from the region. She also announced on Tuesday: "We will take action against all individuals who act contrary to the law and violate human rights, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or political position." Suu Kyi promised to work towards the return of some of the 410,000 Rohingya who have fled Myanmar. The violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority and their mass displacement is so significant that last week the UN Secretary-General acknowledged that "ethnic cleansing" is the most accurate term to describe the events in the country, especially in Rakhine state. Now, Amnesty International has reacted to Suu Kyi's statements in a statement published on its official website on Tuesday, condemning them. According to this organization, which does not take Suu Kyi's words and promises seriously, the leader of Myanmar and other officials have "buried their heads in the sand" and turned a blind eye to the violence against Muslims. James Gomez, the Southeast Asia regional director for the organization, dismissed Suu Kyi's promises as nothing but "lies and victim-blaming." According to this regional director of Amnesty International, there is "ample evidence" that Myanmar's security forces have launched a "campaign of ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine state. Gomez stated that Aung San Suu Kyi "remains silent about the role of security forces in this [issue]." He said, "If Myanmar has nothing to hide, it should allow UN inspectors into the country and into Rakhine state." Gomez also called for an immediate end to the "campaign of violence and human rights violations" in Rakhine state. The Rohingya Muslims are the largest stateless ethnic group in the world. Myanmar does not grant citizenship to this group and discriminatory laws against them are in place in the country. These Muslims usually avoid violent methods against the Myanmar government, but in recent months, a newly formed militia called the "Rohingya Liberation Army" has carried out a series of operations against Myanmar's border forces, prompting the Myanmar army to send large numbers of troops to the region. Following the operations of this "Liberation Army," Aung San Suu Kyi also referred to "terrorists" as the source of "fake news" about the Rohingya Muslims in a conversation with the Turkish president. However, with increasing criticism and public pressure, which even led to the cancellation of Suu Kyi's trip to New York for the UN General Assembly, Myanmar officials were finally forced to respond to the events in their country.