Aung San Suu Kyi Stripped of Oxford Honour Over Rohingya Criticism

The Oxford City Council has passed an unanimous motion to strip Suu Kyi of her 1997 ‘Freedom of Oxford’ honour.

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi. 

(Photo: AP)

An honour bestowed upon Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the city of Oxford in England has been withdrawn as a reaction to the UK’s perception of her inadequate response to the plight of Rohingya Muslims.

The 'Freedom of Oxford' had been granted to the de facto leader of Myanmar in 1997 for her "long struggle for democracy" by the Oxford City Council.

A cross-party motion was unanimously passed by the council on Monday, which said it was "no longer appropriate" for Suu Kyi to hold the honour.

Also Watch: Don’t Want to Use an Emotive Term: Suu Kyi on not Naming Rohingya

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price supported the motion to remove her honour and confirmed it was an “unprecedented step” for the local authority.

The city council will hold a special meeting to confirm the removal of the honour on 27 November.

On 30 September, an Oxford University college, where Suu Kyi studied as an undergraduate, removed her portrait from its main entrance amid mounting criticism against the Myanmar leader over the plight of Rohingya Muslims.

Suu Kyi had graduated from St Hugh’s College in 1967 and the portrait had adorned its entrance since 1999. It was painted by artist Chen Yanning in 1997 and belonged to Suu Kyi's husband, Oxford professor Michael Aris, and was given to the college after his death.

In a statement, the college said:

The college received the gift of a new painting earlier this month which will be exhibited for a period. The painting of Aung San Suu Kyi has meanwhile been moved to storage.

While the exact reason for the portrait's removal, which comes just days before the start of the academic year and the arrival of new students, remains unclear, there is a general view that the allegations of ethnic cleansing as a result of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims fleeing their homes to Bangladesh is likely to be behind the move.

Also Watch: Not Afraid of International Scrutiny: Suu Kyi on Rohingya Crisis

But the decision was branded as “cowardly” by the Burma Campaign UK group, which has called for the college to go further.

“This seems a rather cowardly action by St Hugh’s. If they have taken down the portrait because of Aung San Suu Kyi defending the Burmese military as they commit ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya they should say so and write to her urging her to respect human rights,” Mark Farmaner, the campaign’s director, told The Guardian.

Suu Kyi was also awarded an honorary degree by St Hugh’s College in June 2012, which the university said it was not considering withdrawing.

The college's other notable alumni include UK Prime Minister Theresa May who has also called on Suu Kyi to "make it very clear that the military action (against Rohingyas) should stop".