Irish rock singer Sir Bob Geldof has said he is returning his Freedom of the City of Dublin honour because it is also held by Myanmar de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Key points: Geldof says Suu Kyi's association with Ireland's capital "shames us all"

Geldof says Suu Kyi's association with Ireland's capital "shames us all" Says he will turn his award in at City Hall

Says he will turn his award in at City Hall Suu Kyi was awarded the honour in 1999 but didn't receive it until 2012

Geldof accused Ms Suu Kyi of complicity for what he and others, including the United Nations, call "ethnic cleansing" of Rohingya Muslims in the Asian nation.

The founder of Live Aid said Ms Suu Kyi is a "handmaiden to genocide" whose association with Ireland's capital "shames us all".

Ms Suu Kyi is a Nobel peace laureate for her leadership of the democracy movement in Myanmar but she has come under widespread criticism as her country's civilian leader because of violence that has caused many in the Rohingya minority to flee the country.

In a statement, Geldof said he would turn his award in at City Hall on Monday morning.

He said he was a "proud Dubliner" and did not want the ceremonial title while Ms Suu Kyi also held it.

"Her association with our city shames us all and we should have no truck with it, even by default," he said.

Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin honour in 1999. ( Reuters: Zeya Tun )

Violence continues in Myanmar

Myanmar is a Buddhist-majority country that does not recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group, contending they are Bengali migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh living illegally in the country.

It denies them citizenship, leaving them stateless.

The latest violence began with a series of attacks on August 25 by Rohingya insurgents that was followed by attacks by Myanmar security forces on Rohingya villages.

Ms Suu Kyi was awarded the Dublin honour in 1999 for her work to bring democracy to Myanmar, but she didn't formally receive it until a visit in 2012, when she was also feted with a concert organised by Amnesty International.

In a speech this past September, Ms Suu Kyi urged the international community to be patient over the crisis, and also suggested that the fleeing Rohingya were partly responsible.

AP