Canada revokes Suu Kyi's honorary citizenship
Ottawa, Oct 3 : Canada has formally stripped Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship over her inaction on military violence against the countrys Rohingya Muslims.
Canadian Senators on Tuesday unanimously passed a measure revoking her citizenship and declaring the treatment of Rohingyas by Myanmar's government to be a genocide. The same actions were unanimously approved last week by the House of Commons, CBC News reported.
The honour was bestowed on Suu Kyi in 2007 for her pro-democracy campaign in Myanmar, where she spent 15 years under house arrest under the former military government. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991
Now, she has become the first person to have her honorary Canadian citizenship revoked.
The votes were prompted in part by a UN investigation that in August called for six top generals in Myanmar to be tried on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. It also found that Suu Kyi had failed in her duty to protect her own citizens.
More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017, when Myanmar's Buddhist-majority security forces began a violent campaign in Rakhine state that included executions, gang rape and the burning of hundreds of villages. About 10,000 people have been killed, the UN said.
The UN fact-finding mission condemned Suu Kyi for failing to use her power or moral authority to stem or prevent the genocide and fulfil her responsibility to protect the civilian population.
Instead, civilian authorities spread false narratives, allowed hate speech to flourish and blocked independent investigations, the report said.
"Stripping her of her honorary citizenship may not make a tangible difference to her, but it sends an important symbolic message," said Senator Ratna Omidvar, who introduced the motion in the Canadian chamber.
"She has been complicit in stripping the citizenship and the security of thousands of Rohingya, which has led to their flight, their murder, their rapes and their current deplorable situation."
Omidvar also cited the imprisonment of two Reuters journalists who were reporting on the atrocities. Suu Kyi has defended the judge's verdict and sentence in that case.
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Mangaluru to host international workshop on clinical neuroimmunology
Mangaluru: An international workshop on clinical neuroimmunology will be held in Mangaluru on March 7 and 8 at Avishkar Hall of KS Hegde Hospital, ABSMIDS.
The two-day academic programme is being organised by the Centre for Advanced Neurological Research of Nitte (Deemed to be University). The event is expected to bring together neurologists, clinicians and researchers from India and several other countries.
According to the organisers, the workshop aims to improve the diagnostic skills of practising neurologists through exposure to advanced imaging methods, visual diagnostic tools and biomarker analysis used in the diagnosis of neuroimmunological disorders.
The programme will feature hands-on training sessions and demonstration-based learning. Activities will include live Optical Coherence Tomography workshops, video-assisted demonstrations and interactive discussions with experts from Canada, the United States, South Asia and the UAE.
The workshop is being conducted under the leadership of Dr. Lekha Pandit, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Centre for Advanced Neurological Research at KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), who is serving as the course director for the programme.
Dr. Asha Kishore, Director of the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Centre at Aster Medicity, Kochi, will inaugurate the workshop as the chief guest. The inaugural function will be presided over by Prof. M. S. Moodithaya, Vice-Chancellor of Nitte (Deemed to be University).
Registrar Dr. Harsha Halahalli and Dr. Sandeep Rai, Dean of KS Hegde Medical Academy, will also be present at the inaugural ceremony.
