SUU KYI`S RELEASE GIVES HOPE TO ROHINGYA REFUGEES

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- The release of Myanmar pro-democracy
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest has given new hope to the Rohingya
people to be recognised as citizens of Myanmar and return home after years away
as refugees.

Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organisation Malaysia (MERHROM)
president Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani said the Rohingya minority group hoped that
Suu Kyi would be able to help them be recognised as Myanmar citizens and to
enjoy the same rights and privileges as the other races.

"For years we have been denied our rights as Myanmar people by the ruling
military junta, whereby we don't have the same opportunities and rights as
others in the country," he told Bernama when contacted Monday.

Welcoming the release of Suu Kyi, Zafar Ahmad was confident she would be
able to fight for the rights of the Rohingyas based on her strong influence
and leadership skills.

"Suu Kyi is a leader who fights for her people, and her struggle is not for
any one race. So going by that, we are confident that we have chosen the right
person to help us," he said.


Aung San Suu Kyi, 65, was released last Saturday after being put under
seven years of house arrest by the Myanmar military junta.

The Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group from the north of Myanmar, started to
receive shelter from foreign countries following political and social unrest in
their territory of Arakan.

-- BERNAMA