Nobel Laureates Criticise Aung San Suu Kyi over Rohingya Issue

A protester holds a poster with a defaced image of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration against what protesters say is the crackdown on ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, in front of the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia November 25, 2016. (Photo: REUTERS)

United Nations: Activists including nearly a dozen fellow Nobel peace laureates are criticising Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

They say she has failed to ensure equal rights for the minority Rohingya people in Rakhine state, where they say more than 30,000 people have been displaced in a humanitarian crisis.

The criticism is contained in an open letter on Thursday to the UN Security Council from the 23 activists, including Nobel laureates and current and former business and political leaders.

It says a military offensive by the Myanmar army has led to the deaths of hundreds of Rohingya, the burning of homes, and the rapes of women as well as arbitrary detentions.

Amnesty International earlier this month released a report alleging that actions by Myanmar’s military may constitute crimes against humanity.