Aung San Suu Kyi Will Not Attend the UN General Assembly in New York

Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has decided not to participate in the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. Suu Kyi and her government have faced widespread criticism regarding violence against the Muslim minority. The UN summit will open tomorrow. Zaw Htay, spokesman for the Myanmar presidency, announced on September 13 that the advisor to the government - a title equivalent to Prime Minister for Aung San Suu Kyi - will not attend the UN General Assembly due to internal security issues in Myanmar. Although Suu Kyi is not the president of Myanmar, she effectively holds the executive power in the country. Violence in Myanmar between militia groups and the military, as well as against the Muslim minority, has escalated significantly since early September following an attack by a group of Rohingya Muslim militants on a police station. Human Rights Watch has recently warned about the genocide of the Rohingya minority, and the United Nations announced two days ago that the number of people fleeing violence from Rakhine State in western Myanmar to Bangladesh has surpassed 300,000. Zaw Htay told Reuters that Ms. Suu Kyi is working to control the security situation, 'to restore stability and lasting peace and to prevent mass violence.' In recent weeks, Aung San Suu Kyi has faced increasing criticism regarding the situation in the country she leads. Having spent years under house arrest due to protests against the military regime in Myanmar and being a Nobel Peace Prize winner, she has defended her government's efforts. The Myanmar government labels the rebels and Muslim militants as 'terrorists.' The majority of Myanmar's population consists of Theravada Buddhists. The Muslim minority has been denied the right to have an official identity equal to the majority for many years and continues to be described as 'illegal Bengali migrants.' Human rights organizations have expressed serious concerns about the situation in Myanmar and the violence against the Muslim minority. Myanmar has rejected a proposed 'ceasefire' from the rebels, stating that it 'does not negotiate with terrorists.' Meanwhile, while observers and human rights defenders accuse the army of attacking and burning many Muslim villages, security forces claim they have not done so and that it is the work of the rebels.