In 2017 , critics have called for Aung San Suu Kyi 's Nobel prize to be revoked , citing her silence over the persecution of Rohingya people in Myanmar . Some activists criticised Aung San Suu Kyi for her silence on the 2012 Rakhine State riots ( later repeated during the 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis ) , and her perceived indifference to the plight of the Rohingya , Myanmar 's persecuted Muslim minority . In 2012 , she told reporters she did not know if the Rohingya could be regarded as Burmese citizens . In a 2013 interview with the BBC 's Mishal Husain , Aung San Suu Kyi did not condemn violence against the Rohingya and denied that Muslims in Myanmar have been subject to ethnic cleansing , insisting that the tensions were due to a " climate of fear " caused by " a worldwide perception that global Muslim power is ' very great . She did condemn " hate of any kind " in the interview . According to Peter Popham , in the aftermath of the interview , she expressed anger at being interviewed by a Muslim . Husain had challenged Suu Kyi that almost all of the impact of violence was against the Rohingya , in response to Aung San Suu Kyi 's claim that violence was happening on both sides , and Peter Popham described her position on the issue as one of purposeful ambiguity for political gain
2012 Rakhine State riots
2012 Rakhine State riots
Aung San Suu Kyi