New York, (IINA) - Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has pledged to promote human rights in the country’s troubled Rakhine state as the Nobel laureate made her UN debut; however, she failed to name Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority in the troubled region, the Guardian reported.
The one-time opposition icon who was put under house arrest for years by a military junta took the rostrum of the United Nations on Wednesday to speak for Myanmar. Western supporters who long fought for Suu Kyi’s freedom have voiced dismay as, now a politician, she refuses to recognize the Rohingya – a persecuted Muslim minority in the overwhelmingly Buddhist nation.
Suu Kyi did not mention the Rohingya by name in her address. It is a contentious issue among Buddhists in Rakhine, who consider the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and customarily call them “Bengali.” But she pledged to back a commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan that was recently set up to advise on Rakhine state, where thousands of Rohingya have spent four years in dire displacement camps.
“There has been persistent opposition from some quarters to the establishment of the commission,” she said, referring to protests that have met the advisers.
“However, we are determined to persevere in our endeavor to achieve harmony, peace, and prosperity in the Rakhine state,” she said.
“I would like to take the opportunity to ask for the understanding and constructive contribution of the international community,” she said. “By standing firm against the forces of prejudice and intolerance, we are reaffirming our faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person.”
Before heading to New York, Suu Kyi met at the White House with Barack Obama, who agreed to scrap remaining sanctions against Myanmar.
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