THE SNP’s Chris Law has called for Aung San Suu Kyi to be stripped of the Freedom of the City of Dundee.
Suu Kyi has been accused of turning a blind eye to genocide, as the military in Myanmar carry out acts of unspeakable violence against Rohingya Muslims, creating a refugee crisis in East Asia.
Millions of people have been displaced. An estimated 700,000 Rohingya have fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh since late August.
Myanmar’s military started their assault on the Rohingya after deadly attacks by an insurgent group. The military denies the atrocities, saying instead they are conducting “clearance operations” against terrorists.
Law had been due to travel to Myanmar with the Scottish Parliament’s International Development Committee.
Meetings with government and military officials, and even Suu Kyi herself, had been organised for the MPs, but that all came to a halt when their visas were blocked.
Law said he thought the regime in Myanmar were scared about what the committee of MPs might uncover.
“It is my belief that this is a purely political decision by the embassy of Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi to protect her Government from what we would uncover in the region,” he said. “As someone who previously deeply respected her, this is particularly disappointing.
“With a heavy heart, I will be writing to Dundee City Council to make them aware of this denial, and urge them to strip her of the Freedom of the City.
“It is now clear that she is unwilling to help the Rohingya people and is now actively seeking to prevent others from providing help.”
Suu Kyi has been the prime minister of Myanmar since 2016. She spent 15 years under house arrest following a military takeover, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
She was awarded Freedom of the City of Dundee in 2008,
Glasgow awarded Suu Kyi Freedom of the City in 2009, but revoked it last year.
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