Aung San Suu Kyi : Myanmar doesn't fear Rohingya scrutiny
The leader of Myanmar gives her first address to the nation since Muslim insurgent attacks sparked a military response.
Tuesday 19 September 2017 09:56, UK
Myanmar does not fear "international scrutiny" over the Rohingya crisis, its de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said.
Ms Suu Kyi condemned all human rights violations and said anyone responsible for abuses in the troubled Rakhine State would face the law.
It was her first address to the nation since attacks by Rohingya insurgents in August led to a sweeping military counter-offensive by Myanmar security forces.
The United Nations has said the military operation is ethnic cleansing.
She did not address this but insisted the country was committed to a sustainable solution to the conflict.
Ms Suu Kyi said: "We condemn all human rights violations and unlawful violence.
"We are committed to the restoration of peace and stability and rule of law throughout the state.
"Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict laws and justice.
"We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people caught up in the conflict."
Ms Suu Kyi was given a Nobel Peace Prize as the champion of Myanmar's democratic opposition during years of military rule and house arrest.
But many had criticised her previous silence on the Rohingya situation.
She did not comment on the military operations in Rakhine state but did say that, since 5 September, there had been "no armed clashes and there have been no clearance operations".
Regarding the many thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled for Bangladesh, she added: "We want to find out why this exodus is happening.
"We would like to talk to those who have fled as well as those who have stayed."
She claimed that a "great majority" of Muslims in the Rakhine state had remained there.