Suu Kyi cancels Sydney speech, citing illness

International Desk: Myanmar's controversial State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has canceled a rare public appearance in Australia due to ill health, hours after meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Suu Kyi was due to give a speech at Sydney's Lowy Institute on Tuesday but the think-tank announced she had been forced to cancel as she was "not feeling well," in a statement Monday afternoon.

"Following the speech, the State Counselor was to take questions from the audience," the statement said.

Hours after the speech was canceled, Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay told media Suu Kyi had felt "jet lagged and a bit weak" but was now fine and spending the afternoon with the Australian Myanmar community.

When pressed as to whether the event would be rescheduled, Zaw Htay said in a text: "Schedule is very tight, it's not suitable for her. We're very sorry to cancel it."

Suu Kyi was in Sydney on Saturday for the first ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting to be held in Australia. On Monday morning she met with Turnbull in Canberra.

Protesters gather to demonstrate against Suu Kyi during the ASEAN Summit in Sydney on March 17.

Protesters gather to demonstrate against Suu Kyi during the ASEAN Summit in Sydney on March 17.

Her government has been accused internationally of "ethnic cleansing" against Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya population, at least 688,000 of whom have fled across the border in Bangladesh in the last six months.

Source: Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/March 19, 2018/AI