During her 15 years under house arrest by the then ruling military junta, the "courage, endurance and dignity" of Aung San Suu Kyi "won her global respect", says The Times. But in her role as the president of Myanmar, she has now come under "withering criticism" from a UN report for her refusal to stop, or even condemn, "atrocities that have been the bloodiest in Asia since the mass killings by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia". The report claims that "at least 10,000 Rohingya civilians have been murdered, and 725,000 driven out of their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine state across the border into Bangladesh".
It may be unfair to criticise Suu Kyi for the atrocities, says Bertil Lintner on Asia Times. Her government is "legally and administratively hemmed in by the autonomous military, which maintains full control of the powerful defence, home and border-affairs ministries". Consequently, she "lacks any command control over the troops who were allegedly involved in acts the UN now says constitute genocide".
Still, if nothing has really changed in Myanmar since it began to emerge from military rule in 2011, it's time for the rest of the world to take a stronger line, says the Financial Times. Early on, "there was a case for treading softly", thus allowing Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy "to build on the political transition that was under way". Yet any democratic gains that were made "are now being reversed" as shown by the jailing this week of two Reuters reporters who revealed details of one massacre so that case "no longer holds". "It is high time for international pressure to be put back on."
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
-
Private school fees soar and VAT threat looms – what does it mean for you?Rising private school fees could see more than one in five parents pull their children out of their current school. Before you remortgage, move house or look to grandparents for help, here’s what you need to know.
-
Best and worst UK banks for online banking revealedWhen it comes to keeping your money safe, not all banks are equal. We reveal the best and worst banks for online banking when it comes to protecting your money from scams
