Canada revokes Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s honorary citizenship
Ottawa : Canada’s Parliament has formally stripped Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship for complicity in the atrocities committed against Myanmar’s Rohingya people. The Senate voted unanimously to strip Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s civilian leader, of the symbolic honor bestowed on her in 2007.
The upper house’s move follows a similar unanimous vote in the House of Commons last week.
Suu Kyi is the first person to have her honorary Canadian citizenship revoked.
A United Nations fact-finding mission reported last month that the Myanmar’s military has systematically killed thousands of Rohingya civilians, burned hundreds of their villages and engaged in ethnic cleansing and mass gang rape. It called for top generals to be investigated and prosecuted for genocide.
The Senate has also followed the lead of the Commons in recognizing that the crimes against humanity committed by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya constitute a genocide.
“We must recognize this atrocity for what it is,” said Sen. Ratna Omidvar, who introduced the motion to revoke Suu Kyi’s citizenship Tuesday.
“It is genocide. We must call it as it is.” Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her fight for democracy in Myanmar.
“At that point she was a champion for change and human rights … The world pinned its hope on her as the shining light and hope for a democratic and peaceful Myanmar,” said Omidvar. “As we all now know, that was not to be.” Omidvar said Suu Kyi has denied the atrocities, restricted access to international investigators and journalists, defended the military and denied humanitarian aid for the Rohingya.
“We need to send a strong signal here in Canada and around the world that if you’re an accomplice of genocide, you are not welcome here. Certainly not as an honorary Canadian citizen.”
courtesy : indianexpress.com
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Pinarayi Vijayan's constituency becomes first to be declared extreme poverty-free
Kannur (Kerala), Apr 13 (PTI): Dharmadam, the Assembly constituency represented by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has become the first in the state to be declared free of extreme poverty.
The Chief Minister made the announcement on Sunday in a post on 'X'.
"Dharmadam becomes the first Assembly Constituency in Kerala to be declared extreme poverty-free!" he posted.
He added, "With less than 1% of our population in extreme poverty, we are now working towards declaring the entire state extreme poverty-free on November 1 — a milestone in our journey of inclusive development. #KeralaModel."
Vijayan had earlier stated that Kerala already has the lowest poverty rate in India, and the government was now working to eradicate extreme poverty completely.
The state aims to achieve this goal by November 1, 2025, as part of the fourth-year celebrations of the second Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government.
