Desmond Tutu condemns fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi over silence on Rohingya people

Desmond Tutu has condemned his fellow Nobel laureate and old friend Aung San Suu Kyi over her silence on the treatment of the Rohingya Muslims.

The 85-year old archbishop has written an open letter to the Burma leader asking her to speak out and end the suffering of the Rohingya people.

He said he had to speak out despite the leader being  “a dearly beloved sister” because he said the “unfolding horror” and “ethnic cleansing” horrified him.

Mr Tutu said that he had come out of retirement to make the comments because he was so deeply moved by the situation.

He wrote: "I am now elderly, decrepit and formally retired, but breaking my vow to remain silent on public affairs out of profound sadness".

The archbishop said: "For years I had a photograph of you on my desk to remind me of the injustice and sacrifice you endured out of your love and commitment for Myanmar’s people. You symbolised righteousness.

“Your emergence into public life allayed our concerns about violence being perpetrated against members of the Rohingya. But what some have called ‘ethnic cleansing’ and others ‘a slow genocide’ has persisted – and recently accelerated.

“It is incongruous for a symbol of righteousness to lead such a country,” said the 85-year old anti-apartheid activist. “If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep.”

Fellow Nobel Laureate Malala also spoke out.

“Stop the violence. Today we have seen pictures of small children killed by Myanmar’s security forces,” Miss Yousafzai said in a statement on Twitter.

“Over the last several years, I have repeatedly condemned this tragic and shameful treatment. I am still waiting for my fellow Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to do the same. The world is waiting and the Rohingya Muslims are waiting,” she added.

Thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for the Nobel committee to revoke Aung San Suu Kyi's peace prize over the Burmese government's treatment of its Rohingya Muslims.

But the Norwegian Nobel committee has ruled out any such move, saying only that the work which led to the awarding of the prize was taken into account.

The Change.Org petition has gathered over 365,000 signatures as of Thursday, reflecting growing outrage over a massive security sweep in Rakhine state by Myanmar forces after a series of deadly ambushes by Rohingya militants.