No ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas: Aung San Suu Kyi

There is no ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar, says Aung San Suu Kyi.

In an interview with the BBC, the de-facto leader of Myanmar did, however, acknowledge the recent problems in Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh.

"I don't think there is ethnic cleansing going on. I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening," she said.

"I think there is a lot of hostility there - it is Muslims killing Muslims as well, if they think they are co-operating with the authorities.

"It is not just a matter of ethnic cleansing as you put it - it is a matter of people on different sides of the divide, and this divide we are trying to close up," she added.

The UN announced in March that it would investigate the alleged human rights abuses.

Some 70,000 people from Myanmar have reportedly fled across the border to Bangladesh since the country began a military crackdown in Rakhine state, following an attack that killed nine policemen.

The Rohingya minority has often faced discrimination in Myanmar, which considers them to be illegal Bengali migrants.

Since 2012, tens of thousands of Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh fearing communal violence and many now live in refugee camps.

Suu Kyi told the BBC she was ready to welcome any returning Rohingyas with open arms.  

"If they come back they will be safe. It is for them to decide, some have come back. We welcome them and we will welcome them back," she said.

The military operation in Rakhine has led to an increase in international pressure and damaged the reputation of Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

A Rohingya refugee girl carries a baby outside the food distribution centre at an unregistered Refugee Camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Feb 27, 2017. Reuters

Suu Kyi, however, is unfazed by the criticism that she has remained silent on the issue.

"This question has been asked since 2013, when the last round of troubles broke out in Rakhine. And they [the journalists] would ask me questions and I would answer them and people would say I said nothing. Simply because I did not make the statements people wanted, which people wanted me to make, simply to condemn one community or the other."

She defended the actions of the Myanmar military during the Rakhine operation, denying it was off the hook.

"They are not free to rape, pillage and torture," she said. "They are free to go in and fight. That is in the constitution. Military matters are to be left to the army."

She, however, did acknowledge during the interview that regaining control of the military was something the government still hoped to do.

Under the current constitution, the military operates independently of the governing party.

She also defended the actions of her government, which swept to power last year, touting its record of job creation, infrastructure development and free elections.