Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi addresses the nation on the Rohingya crisis
Aung San Suu Kyi will address her majority Buddhist country today on the forced displacement of the Muslim minority Rohingya people within her country.
Since August 25, the military has cracked down on the minority group in response to Rohingya extremist attacks on police posts. This has led to the mass flight of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh amid fears of mass military killings of civilians.
Ms Suu Kyi must walk a tightrope with today’s speech. First, she needs to keep the military—where real political power still lies—on side. Second, she must maintain the support of Myanmar’s 88% Buddhist majority who view the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and terrorists. Finally, she has to assure the international community that she will act to stop the crisis further developing into a humanitarian disaster.
If Ms Suu Kyi does not satisfy the international community, her legacy will be tarnished. If she goes too far the other way, she could risk losing the support of her people and the military.
Delve Deeper: The Rohingya refugee crisis: ethnic cleansing in Myanmar
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