DHAKA: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has urged the international community to show greater understanding towards the ongoing sectarian clashes in the country’s western Rakhine state, stressing that it is a not a ‘black-and-white problem’.

‘What we would like Asean and the world to do for us is to be more aware of the nuances of the problem, and not just see it as Muslims against Buddhists. It is not that. It is a matter of fear,’ she told the Singapore Summit, a two-day gathering of top global business and financial leaders, reports The Straits Times.

‘You can help us overcome the fear by giving us your understanding, by trying to go deeper into the reasons why this communal conflict has taken place.’

Sectarian clashes in Myanmar have killed over 200 people in the past year, with the deadliest clashes taking place in Rakhine.

BDST: 1653 HRS, SEPT 21, 2013
RoR/RIS