Rohingya crisis: terrorism may spread beyond Myanmar, Suu Kyi warns

Myanmar’s unofficial leader uses Singapore lecture to warn of ‘grave consequences’ for countries in the region – and defends her government’s handling of the situation in Rakhine

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Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi delivers her lecture in Singapore. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:30pm, 21 Aug 2018Updated: 7:35pm, 21 Aug 2018

The threat of terrorism is a real and present danger in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, a problem that has serious consequences for the entire region if left unchecked, said Myanmar’s unofficial leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

She said unless the security challenge was addressed, the risk of violence in the country would remain.

“The danger of terrorist activities, which was the initial cause of events leading to the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine, remains real and present today,” she said, in a lecture in Singapore on Tuesday.

“Unless this security challenge is addressed the risk of inter-communal violence will remain. It is a threat that could have grave consequences, not just for Myanmar but also for other countries in our region and beyond. Terrorism should not be condoned in any form for any reason.”

Thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar wait by a road where they spent the night between refugee camps, near Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya, most of them Muslims, have been displaced from Rakhine since the military began a crackdown on militants last August. Most have crossed the border into Bangladesh, joining the 200,000 refugees already there.