Mahathir says he’s lost faith in Aung San Suu Kyi and is withdrawing Malaysia’s support | Digital Asia

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sid he was ‘disappointed’ by Aung San Suu Kyi’s silence, given Malaysia’s role in petitioning for her previous release from house arrest.

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He wrote her a letter about the Rohingya, but received no reply.

Now, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is publicly withdrawing the country’s support for Aung San Suu Kyi over her failure to speak up against the alleged ethnic cleansing of Burmese muslims.

At his UN General Assembly speech on Sep 28, Mahathir raised Suu Kyi’s denial that Rohingya were subject to mass killings, village burning and gang rape by the Burmese military, and that their people were being forced to flee Myanmar.

Many people in the Buddhist-majority country are said to regard Muslims as terrorists, the Star reported.

Suu Kyi’s silence on the Rohingya issue has incited international anger, given her own experiences of repression and her status as a humanitarian icon.

Mahathir added in an interview with Turkish international news channel TRT World that he was “disappointed” Suu Kyi did not reply his letter, given the instrumental role Malaysia played in championing for her release from a long house arrest several years earlier.

He added that he had lost all faith in the Burmese leader.

“Over this issue, she seems to be a changed person,” Mahathir said. “We made it quite clear that we don’t really support her anymore… we condemn Myanmar for carrying out what appears to be genocide. We have not minced words about this.”

Mahathir added that Malaysia had been “vocal” about the “grossly unjust” treatment of the Rohingya, and housed some refugees within its borders.