Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been heavily criticized for failing to stop ongoing violence against the country's Rohingya minority in western Rakhine state, visited the region for the first time since attacks there triggered a refugee crisis.Suu Kyi arrived in the state capital of Sittwe before heading north, where many Rohingya villages are located, the government reported.In late August, Myanmar's security forces began what they called "clearance operations" in north Rakhine in response to attacks on army outposts by a separatist group linked to the Muslim Rohingya. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled since then, most arriving in neighboring Bangladesh. The United Nations has said the attacks by security forces amount to a "textbook" case of ethnic cleansing.As NPR's Colin Dwyer wrote in September: "Reports of unbridled murder and arson, rape and persecution have followed them out of Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, sketching a stark portrait of government violence. In an area largely barred from international observation, aid groups have been left to assemble a patchwork understanding of what's unfolding — but by nearly all indications, it's exceedingly grim."Michael Sullivan reports for NPR: "Bangladesh reckons about 800,000 Rohingya are now living on its side of the border. Most are in overcrowded, spontaneously erected camps, staying in shelters that amount to little more than bamboo poles strapped together with a bit of plastic sheeting for a roof."Reuters writes:
Myanmar's Suu Kyi Visits Rakhine Amid Violent Crackdown On Rohingya
