During one of my first visits to Burma in 2005 I met a group of Rohingas is Sittwe, - "bad people", my rickshaw driver told me, "all thief's". I was intrigued and heard this sentiment repeated more than once. Since this time I have followed with interest and sadness the plight of the Rohingas, one of the most persecuted people in this world. I visited their villages in northern Rakhine, and camps where they were later deported, forced out to. I had hoped that with the new regime and the elections of Aung San Suu Kyi that their plight would be over and they would not remain the stateless people that they are, even after generations have lived in Burma. But that is not the case. Over the past few weeks a new outbreak of abuse has occurred with scenes of rape, violence and burning houses reported. This week the UN has accused Myanmar of ethnic cleansing.
And disappointingly Aung Sang Suu Kyi is staying silent saying the military is keeping within the rules. I think despite the façade, we can still see who holds the power in this country.