Aung San Suu Kyi is facing mounting criticism over her handling of the Rohingya crisis.

Earlier, on Nov. 13, the civilian leader of Myanmar was stripped of Amnesty International's highest honour.

The same day also saw Aung San Suu Kyi come under fire from Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who criticised her for "trying to defend what is indefensible."

Subsequently, on Nov. 14, Aung San Suu Kyi was called out by U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence who told her that:

"The violence and persecution by military and vigilantes that resulted in driving 700,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh is without excuse".

Mahathir "disappointed" by Aung San Suu Kyi

According to Channel NewsAsia, Mahathir stated that he was "very disappointed" by Aung San Suu Kyi's failure in defending the Rohingya from what the UN has alleged is akin to genocide.

His remarks were made in response to a question, raised after a speech he had given, to comment on how Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi were dealing with the Rohingya issue.

Mahathir elaborated on his "indefensible" comments by adding that "they are actually oppressing these people to the point of killing them, mass killing".

Mahathir also referenced Aung San Suu Kyi's years of house arrest by the military, adding that:

"Someone who has been detained before should know the sufferings and should not inflict it on the hapless."

CNA further reported that Mahathir also made an appeal to Myanmar to accept the Rohingya as citizens, using Malaysia as an example:

"When Malaysia became independent in 1957, we had people of foreign origin .... but we accepted all of them ... They are now citizens, they play a full role in the politics of the country, they are free, they are not detained because of race or anything like that."

Pence anxious to hear progress

Pence's "without excuse" remarks were made directly to Aung San Suu Kyi at a media meeting, prior to a private discussion with one another.

During the meeting, Pence pressed her on accountability, stating:

"I am anxious to hear the progress that you are making of holding those accountable who are responsible for the violence that displaced so many hundreds of thousands and created such suffering, including the loss of life".

Pence added that he was keen to know about the progress of the possibility for the Rohingya to return to the Rakhine state. Many of the Rohingya are currently in refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Pence also indirectly referenced the jailing of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo by the Burmese government, under Myanmar's Official Secrets Act, for their investigation into the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in December 2017.

Without mentioning their names, Pence highlighted that the incident had been "deeply troubling" for millions of Americans.

Pence added:

“In America, we believe in our democratic institutions and ideals, including a free and independent press".

In response, Aung San Suu Kyi called for understanding, stating:

"Of course people have different points of view but the point is that you should exchange these views and try to understand each other better.”

She also added:

“In a way we can say that we understand our country better than any other country does and I’m sure you will say the same of yours, that you understand your country better than anybody else. So we are in a better position to explain to you what is happening and how we see things panning out."

Indonesian President and NZ Prime Minister focus on Rakhine instead

In contrast to the criticism of Mahathir and Pence, Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took a different approach to the issue, by mostly focusing on the situation in Rakhine State

Indonesia "ready" to help

As reported by Indonesian news outlet Detik, Widodo's speech at the the 33rd ASEAN summit, which was held at the Suntec Convention Centre on Nov. 13, focused on the need for "a step forward" to "resolve this humanitarian crisis."

Detik reported that Widodo said:

 "(the) humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State has not yet been resolved...(it) has raised concerns and created a deficit in the international community's trust."

As such, Widodo added that both Indonesia and Asean were:

"...ready to help the Myanmar Government to create conducive conditions in the Rakhine State where freedom of movement is respected, there is no discrimination, and development is carried out in an inclusive manner."

New Zealand also offered help to Myanmar

The New Zealand Herald reported that Ardern also held a private discussion with Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss the issue.

A spokesperson for Ardern said:

"There was a discussion about the current situation on the ground in Rakhine [state], and the need for security and development."

Repatriation of Rohingya due to begin on Nov. 15

The Myanmar military has been accused of rape, murder, arson and ethnic cleansing that drove more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, where they have ended up in the world’s largest refugee camp.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration has repeatedly denied the allegations of abuse and genocide, citing military response to attacks from Rohingya militants as justification.

Currently, as reported by The Dhaka Tribune, both Myanmar and Bangladesh have agreed to begin the repatriation of the Rohingyas back to Rakhine State by mid-November.

As reported by CNN, Myanmar's Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement announced that it would repatriate 150 refugees per day for two weeks beginning Thursday, Nov. 15.

However, the plan has under come under intense criticism from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees which has stated that such a move is premature.

CNN further reported that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for the government of Bangladesh to halt the repatriation on Nov. 13 as:

"The human rights violations committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar amount to the worst atrocities, including crimes against humanity and possibly even genocide.

With an almost complete lack of accountability -- indeed with ongoing violations -- returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar at this point effectively means throwing them back into the cycle of human rights violations that this community has been suffering for decades."

Top image collage from Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad Facebook, Aung San Suu Kyi Facebook and Mike Pence Facebook