Cut Suu Kyi's me from children’s book'

London, Dec 24: Critics have demanded that Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s me should be cut from one of the most popular childrens books of 2017, a collection of stories about female role models inspiring girls and challenge the status quo.

When “Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls” was written last year, Suu Kyi was deemed a worthy subject: winner of the Nobel peace prize and epitome of courage in the face of oppression, reports the Guardian on Sunday.

But widespread criticism over her response to violence against the Rohingya Muslims, described by the UN as “ethnic cleansing”, has triggered calls for her to be taken out of future editions.

In response, the authors, Ele Favilli and Francesca Cavallo said: “We’re monitoring the situation closely and we don’t exclude the idea of removing her from future reprints.”

The book devotes two pages to each of its role models including Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, Hillary Clinton, Sere Williams.

It quotes Suu Kyi as saying: “Since we live in this world, we have to do our best for this world.” It charts her story from her protests against the junta through 21 years of house arrest to her release and leadership.

On the book’s Facebook page, a critic wrote: “As much as 99 per cent of book is inspiring, I found it absolutely disgusting that you have included someone suspected of genocide in the book... Suu Kyi has no place between those women. Someone who does nothing and perhaps is directly involved in massacres, rapes, burning of kids alive... I am speechless she is in the book.” (IANS)