OIC urges Suu Kyi to help end Myanmar violence

JEDDAH (July 5, 2012): The head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urged Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi Thursday to help end violence against the Muslim Rohingya community in her country.

"As a Nobel Peace Laureate, we are confident that the first step of your journey towards ensuring peace in the world would start from your own doorstep," OIC head Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told Suu Kyi in a letter.

Ihsanoglu said the OIC was confident Suu Kyi "would play a positive role in bringing an end to the violence that has afflicted Arakan (Rakhine) state".

He urged the newly elected lawmaker to convince the government to accept "an international inquiry into the recent violence, granting free access to humanitarian aid groups and international media" in the western Myanmar state that saw deadly clashes last month between Muslims and Buddhists.

The head of the 57-member pan-Muslim body called for the quick "return of the victims to their respective properties", expressing his "deep concern about the unabated and continuous violation of Rohingya rights in Myanmar".

In the letter, Ihsanoglu invited Suu Kyi to visit OIC headquarters in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah.

Communal violence in June between ethnic Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya left dozens dead and tens of thousands homeless.

A state of emergency is still in place after the outbreak of violence, which prompted reformist President Thein Sein to warn it could damage the country's emergence from decades of military rule.

About 800,000 Rohingya live in Myanmar, according to the United Nations, which views them as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.

Speaking a Bengali dialect similar to one in southeast Bangladesh, the Rohingya are seen as illegal immigrants by the Myanmar government and many Burmese, prompting many to attempt to flee to third countries in rickety boats. – AFP

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