Suu Kyi makes first visit to violence-torn Rohingya region

Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar (also known as Burma), for the first time on Thursday visited the conflict-torn Rakhine state, from which more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled following military attacks. The Nobel laureate has faced international criticism for her silence on the unrest that began in late August. Government spokesman Zaw Htay told Agence France-Presse that Suu Kyi arrived in Sittwe, the state’s capital, and will visit the restive Maungdaw and Buthiduang towns in the north. Chris Lewa, who belongs to the Arakan Project monitoring group, told Reuters that Suu Kyi met with a group of religious leaders during her visit. “She said only three things to the people—they should live peacefully, the government is there to help them, and they should not quarrel among each other,” Lewa said, quoting one of the religious leaders present at the meeting. The violence started when some Rohingya militants attacked security posts and the military responded with clearance operations the United Nations later described as “ethnic cleansing.” Myanmar’s government said it is ready to start repatriating the refugees, pending an agreement with Bangladesh. But people continue to flee. At least 2,000 Rohingya on Wednesday gathered in rice paddy fields at one border crossing, waiting for the guards to let them into Bangladesh.