Myanmar leader blames misinformation as exodus worsens
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Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is blaming fake news and a misinformation campaign for fueling a crisis that the U.N. says has now pushed more than 125,000 minority Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh.
According to a statement, Suu Kyi told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone call that her government is defending "all the people" in western Rakhine state.
She told Erdogan that his deputy prime minister was a victim of fake news when he posted photos purportedly showing dead Rohingya that were not related to the crisis. The photos on Mehmet Simsek's Twitter account had been taken down.
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She says such misinformation helps promote the interests of "terrorists," a reference to Rohingya insurgents whose attacks Aug. 25 triggered the latest military crackdown and streams of refugees.