South Africa Anti-Apartheid\u00a0campaigner and social rights activist, Desmond Tutu has condemned Burma\u2019s Aung San Suu Kyi for her silence on the painful and dreaded \u2018ethnic cleansing\u2019 of Rohingya Muslims in her country.<\/p>\n
The 85-year-old South African archbishop, who has formally retired from active work said he was forced to write publicly on the matter due to Madam Suu Kyi\u2019s posture.<\/p>\n
In an open letter on Thursday to Suu Kyi, Desmond Tutu said, \u2018Your emergence into public life allayed our concerns about violence being perpetrated against members of the Rohingya but what some have called \u201cethnic cleansing\u201d and others \u201ca slow genocide\u201d has persisted \u2013 and recently accelerated …\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pray for you to speak out for justice, human rights and the unity of your people. We pray for you to intervene in the escalating crisis and guide your people back towards the path of righteousness,\u201d Desmond Tutu said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that you know that human beings may look and workshop differently \u2013 and some may have greater firepower than others \u2013 but none are superior and non-inferior; that when you scratch the surface we are all the same\u2026 My dear sister: if the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep. A country that is not at peace with itself, fails to acknowledge and protect the dignity and worth of all its people, is not a free country,\u201d he added<\/p>\n
There are about 1 million Rohingya Muslims in Burma and they have for several years complained of being victims of persecution from the state.<\/p>\n
But Madam Suu Kyi largely remained silent on the matter despite being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1991 for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.<\/p>\n
Many global icons have condemned Madam Suu Kyi for the stance in the matter including, Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever peace prize winner.<\/p>\n
The UN refugee agency announced an estimated 270,000 Rohingya have sought refuge in Bangladesh over the past two weeks due to attacks from the military.<\/p>\n
An online petition for the revocation of Aung San Suu Kyi\u2019s Nobel Peace Prize has been launched on Change.org and have so far gathered about 400,000 signatures.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
By: Jonas Nyabor\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South Africa Anti-Apartheid\u00a0campaigner and social rights activist, Desmond Tutu has condemned Burma\u2019s Aung San Suu Kyi for her silence on the painful and dreaded \u2018ethnic cleansing\u2019 of Rohingya Muslims in her country. The 85-year-old South African archbishop, who has formally retired from active work said he was forced to write publicly on the matter due […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107],"tags":[10949,10950,3,10951,10952,10953],"yoast_head":"\n