Bangladesh, Burma and the Rohingya crisis 21 “We have been asking permission to rescue people who are trapped in the jungle and they are in a very critical condition,” said Awng Ja, a member of Kachin State Women Network, which helps displaced women. “But the state minister said only if the military granted us access, we can rescue these civilians.”58 On April 8, following a six-day mission to Burma, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ursula Mueller called the conflict in Kachin “a forgotten humanitarian crisis,” noting, “Humanitarian access in Myanmar has significantly worsened in the last year, not only in Rakhine but also in Kachin and Shan States.”59 Aung San Suu Kyi’s role 39. We were interested to determine what Aung San Suu Kyi’s role was in the peace process and how the ethnic minority groups viewed her. Minister Burt told us: The peace process is long-lasting. The civil war in Burma is the world’s longest-running civil war, and Aung San Suu Kyi has convened the most inclusive peace dialogue since Burma’s internal conflict began in 1947.60 Other witnesses spoke of the hope that had blossomed with Aung San Suu Kyi’s release and rise to power. Hkanhpa Tu Sadan, Kachin Relief Fund, said: In terms of the Kachin, when Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest we had great hope for the opening up of Burma. [ … ] Her father came, in 1946, before Burma got independence, and persuaded us to be a general federal union with equal rights, so we trusted her as we did her father.61 David Baulk, Fortify Rights, took a similar line: there was a lot of hope for what Aung San Suu Kyi’s role would be, what she would be able to achieve in the office that she has of State Counsellor, with regard to peace. On the election trail, peace, rule of law and human rights were a leitmotif across her speeches and her party’s campaigning position.62 However, both witnesses said that disappointment and disillusionment swiftly followed. Hkanhpa Tu Sadan told us: “we did trust her, but at the moment she has sided with the military. She is not in the middle; she is on the other side and we need the peace process. She has refused to acknowledge and condemn the atrocities. She has refused to go on the correct path of the peace process.63 David Baulk said: “levels of trust among ethnic populations with regard to Aung San Suu Kyi … have been eroded to the point of non‑existence, frankly.”64 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 2,000 Kachin trapped by Myanmar fighting lack food, medicine, Daily Mail, 19 April 2018 Myanmar: Two Kachin Religious Leaders Freed in Amnesty, Fortify Rights, 17 April 2018 Q256 Q156 Q157 Q164 Q157