Brighton and Hove councillors are calling on Aung San Suu Kyi to take whatever action she can to improve the situation in Myanmar, or they will consider withdrawing the Freedom of the City from her.
The cross-party motion, which will be heard at a full council meeting next Thursday, notes that more than 300,000 Muslim Rohinya people have fled government troops destroying villages and attacking them, in what the UN has described as “textbook ethnic cleansing”.
Oxford City Council last month stripped her of her honorary freewoman title there – but Brighton is stopping one step short of this.
Brighton and Hove News understands that talks have been ongoing for several weeks over whether the title should be withdrawn, but it was not possible to get cross party support for this.
Instead, the Labour, Conservative and Green group leaders have jointly proposed a meeting calling on her to speak out, or the city council will have to consider withdrawing the honour.
The motion says: “With reports of over 300,000 people having fled the violence; and those people having fled describing troops destroying villages and attacking citizens, consideration needs to be given to withdrawing the Freedom of the City should Aung San Suu Kyi not speak out and take whatever action she can to stop the ethnic cleansing taking place in her country.
“The Muslim Rohingya people in Burma have faced years of suffering at the hands of the Burmese Government, which does not recognise them as citizens.
“There is a need to call on the Burmese government to condemn the military campaign and allow international humanitarian access to the region immediately.
“Should the situation in Myanmar not improve then the council will need to give consideration to withdrawing the honour of Freedom of the City from Aung Suu Kyi, as she will have been complicit in the actions against the Rohingya people and the struggle for democracy and human rights she had previously been a steadfast advocate for.”
Miss Suu Kyi was given the honour in May 2011 when she was guest director of the Brighton Festival. It was given to her during a visit to Burma by festival bosses.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s leader Mary Mears then said: “This is something which is given very rarely as it is one of the highest honours any city can give to somebody.
“As this year’s guest director Aung San Suu Kyi is the voice of equality and freedom.
“For the festival to be able to have her as its director is amazing.”
Unfortunaly she cant don a thing if she does the miltry will put her down no ponit point in taking her freedom of the city away
Take it away now. She’s a brutal dictator.
I’ve just visited Myanmar.. she doesn’t have the power the West thinks she has. The military are doing this without government approval
Why should she defend the Rohingya, they have been murdering Buddhists for decades.
The Rohingya are just as bad as every other Islamic Imperialist group.
It just goes to show you can’t be too careful!
If Aung San Suu Kyi does not have the power over military, what is the point of her position as the De Facto Leader for being a puppet for the military rather than fights for human rights. She seems enjoying the position without doing any right action.
She loves to be the puppet for the military without fighting for human rights. What a shame of a Nobel Peace Winner