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Aung San Suu Kyi: Burma's Muslims Must Feel Secure


Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi says minority Muslims in her country must be able to feel secure, calling their situation "a very sad state of affairs."

In a news conference Wednesday during her visit to Japan, Aung San Suu Kyi said Buddhists in Burma must learn to accommodate people with different views.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner recently met with some of Burma's Muslim leaders. She said they have been made to feel they do not belong in Burma or any other country.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticized for failing to speak out against the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities during outbreaks of violence that have displaced more than 100,000 people.

At least 43 people were killed in Buddhist-Muslim unrest that broke out last month in the central city of Meikhtila. The violence later spread to other cities.



Despite the mostly one-sided attacks, Aung San Suu Kyi has refused to defend Muslim communities or condemn Buddhist monks who encouraged the attacks.

Last year, violence between Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims left nearly 200 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced in western Rakhine state.
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