U2.com has published a statement addressing fans concerns regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, and joining a list of celebrities and dignitaries urging U.N. intervention in Myanmar. In the statement, Bono claims he will speak to Myanmar leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi this week, and that U2 will subsequently make a further statement to fans.
U2 wrote the song Walk On for Suu Kyi, and on the 360 tour Bono urged fans to pressure political leaders to try to force Myanmar’s military leadership to release Suu Kyi, then on house-arrest. Under intense international pressure, including threats of U.S. intervention, Suu Kyi was released. In 2015, she was democratically elected to lead Myanmar, as US sanctions receded and with an ethnic conflict already underway. Suu Kyi has faced intense criticism for failing to prevent the Myanmar military from carrying out alleged large-scale ethnic cleansing of their mostly-Muslim Rohingya minority, over 600,000 of whom have fled into neighboring Bangladesh. Popular opinion in Myanmar is that Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though many were born in Myanmar. While Htin Kyaw is President of Myanmar, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, officially “state counsellor,” is seen as the de-facto head of state. However, under the compromise constitution, the military retains separate powers not under her jurisdiction, and has 25% of the seats in parliament. It’s unclear how much power Aung Sang Sun Kyi has, but her silence in recent months has led to accusations that she is complicit.
