Everyone knows how much Aung San Suu Kyi suffered in the hands of the Myanmar’s military junta. She was under house arrest for over 15 years. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her fearless and selfless struggle but personally it was presented to her in Oslo when she visited the Norwegian capital in June 2012. In the same month she was presented with the Amnesty Ambassador of Conscience award in Dublin. To top them all she was accorded a grand reception in the US Congress and given the US Congressional medal.
Leading politicians from both sides of the house showered unprecedented praise for her single-handed struggle against the military junta for the oppressed people of Burma. We remember the famous quotes of this brave lady, some of the most repeated of them are: “If you are helpless, help someone” and “I think more women should be involved in politics for the good of the human race.”
Now, in a letter addressed to her seeking help, the Muslims of Myanmar have mentioned that the UN considers Rohingya are the most persecuted people in the world and they need her help urgently. I don’t think that the situation in Rakhine is no more a secret to anyone in the world and definitely not for Ang San Suu Kyi, who is in Myanmar. The Rohingya are also subjected to modern-day slavery, where they are forced to work on infrastructure projects, such as constructing “model villages” to house Burmese settlers intended to displace them.
The world community, which acclaimed her bravery, is now really baffled by the deafening silence of Ang San Suu Kyi. A certain section of them is of the belief that she should be ashamed of herself regarding her silence on the atrocities committed on Rohingya. A reporter who traveled to southeast Bangladesh writes that he has seen the Rohingya refugee camps, an indictment of Burmese indifference and persecution of these people. He too wants to know why Ang San Suu Kyi is a silent observer to this massacre of the innocents.
According to official figures, the total number displaced since clashes broke out in June is 100,000. More than 4,600 houses have been burned and hundreds killed. We call Ang San Suu Kyi to break her silence and come forward to help those in distress. — S.H. Moulana, Riyadh
