naypyidaw myanmar as aung san suu kyi is vilified internationally for denying genocide against the rohingya her opponents in sundays myanmar election are ramping up the rhetoric against the muslim minoritythere was global revulsion at militarybacked operations in 2017 that saw hundreds of thousands of people flee burning villages into the squalor of refugee camps in neighbouring bangladeshthe horrifying violence including widespread reports of murder and rape has left suu kyis international reputation in tatters and sees myanmar facing genocide charges at the uns top courtbut than htay leader of the militaryaligned union solidarity and development party usdp insists myanmar has nothing to be sorry fori cannot accept useless people in our country than htay told afp of the stateless rohingyathe usdp is the main opposition group standing against suu kyis ruling national league for democracy nld party in this weeks polls myanmars second after emerging from outright military rule in 2011than htay told a campaign rally he was free of muslim or chinese blood while his deputy slurred an nld muslim candidate according to local news site myanmar nowusdp supporters even created a parody of an nld anthem claiming suu kyis party had welcomed bengali muslims as if they were godsstripped of citizenship and rights over decades the rohingya are widely referred to in myanmar by the pejorative term bengali implying they are illegal immigrantsthe uncompromising campaign rhetoric shows that antimuslim rhetoric in mainly buddhist myanmar remains fair game yangonbased analyst khin zaw win told afpthere is no danger for political parties to speak out against either the rohingya or muslims in general he saidjust four percent of myanmars 55million population are muslimthey have no mainstream political representation and are often discriminated against in schools or when applying for id cards or jobsthe brutal ejection of the rohingya in 2017 was seen very differently inside the country where the government maintains the military was simply rooting out rohingya insurgents and did not force the community to fleethey left happily than htay told afp in an interview late august at the usdps opulent headquarters in the capital naypyidawif theyd been running from the military they wouldnt have prepared their bags as if going on a picnicsuu kyis nld party born out of the prodemocracy movement under the former junta is widely expected to be returned to office in sundays pollsthe nation only emerged from outright military rule a decade ago and the armed forces still wield enormous power retaining control of a quarter of parliamentary seats and three key ministriesstacked with former army officers the usdp is now trying to downplay its links to the military in a country still deeply suspicious of the institutionthan htay who attained the rank of major general before retiring insisted im a civilian now although conceded army chief min aung hlaing was an old childhood friendwe were commanders at the same military command our families are close but thats all we have boundaries between usthe usdp ruled myanmar after a