For years, the Rohingya Muslims have suffered at the hands of the Myanmar (formerly Burmese) government.
Even though they can trace their lineage inside of the country back to the 19^th century, the Rohingyas had their citizenship rights stricken and are officially regarded by the government as foreigners.
According to CNN, since the Rohingyas are not regarded as citizens of the country, they do not have access to the services and resources officially-recognized citizens are able to use.
Despite it seeming like the Myanmar government does not want them, Rohingya Muslims are not allowed to leave their region of the country, which is known as the Rakhine State, where most of them live in government-sanctioned tent cities.
This combination of abuses has led several human rights groups to refer to the Rohingya Muslims as the most persecuted minorities on Earth.
Unfortunately for these oppressed people, circumstances recently went from bad to worse.
It is common for the Rohingyas to attempt to flee to other countries. This year, the UN Refugee Agency estimated 270,000 Rohingyas people have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh.
This was spurred by recent conflicts between the Burmese military and members of the Rohingya, whom the government claims attacked police posts.
According to BBC, the Rohingyas fleeing into Bangladesh have claimed military forces, as well as armed Buddhist citizens, lit their tent homes ablaze and fired shots at the occupants.
As expected, some military leaders contradicted details of the stories. However, there is no way to deny that the Burmese military appears to be targeting Rohingya Muslims with a fresh round of violence and persecution, which has caused hundreds of thousands to flee for other countries.
With all of the injustices the Rohingya people face, it is important to look to leaders for guidance and support of these oppressed people. The person with the loudest voice is Aung San Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi’s official title is state counsellor of Myanmar and leader of the National League for Democracy. For years, she was a symbol of peaceful activism in Southeast Asia, as she worked to bring democracy to her home nation.
She helped her country reach democracy despite her habitual jailing—a punishment she received for speaking against the state.
According to the BBC, Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her work, which elevated her to a position of global recognition.
In 2015, it seemed her struggles finally paid off when she was elected as the civilian leader of Myanmar, a moment met with praise from world leaders.
It is this incredible story of perseverance and persistence that makes it so hard to swallow her inaction regarding one of the most pressing human rights issues in the world.
Suu Kyi’s appears as though she is trying her hardest to avoid the conflict. Despite the fact Suu Kyi rose to prominence for being a defender of citizens against an oppressive government, she has chosen to maintain a mostly neutral stance on this issue.
Her most recent statement on the matter seems almost in defense of the government, as she said they were doing all they could.
Other world leaders were not afraid to decry the situation. The UN’s special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, expressed his disapproval of her inaction.
“The de facto leader needs to step in—that is what we would expect from any government, to protect everybody within their own jurisdictions,” Lee said.
Other human rights’ figures such as Desmond Tutu and Malala Yousafzai have also spoken out in support of the Rohingyas.
According to an article in the Washington Post by Ishaan Tharoor, this pattern of indifference is unfortunately not out of step with what Suu Kyi has failed to do in the past.
It is still nearly impossible for humanitarian resources of any kind to reach the Rohingya people, and independent news media is mostly restricted from fully investigating the events in the Rakhine State.
Combining these past failures to act with Suu Kyi’s current lack of response to the aggressions by the Myanmar military, it paints a devastating picture of a leader without the intestinal fortitude to confront the dire issues facing the Rohingya Muslims.
Of course, some of her defenders note it is challenging for the de facto civilian leader to directly confront a military that was once her jailer. However, this is not an excuse history will smile upon.
The greatest power Suu Kyi possesses is the ability to speak out against violence and to speak for the Rohingya people. The fact she has not done so already will undoubtedly tarnish the sterling reputation she once possessed.
Her inaction will continue to endanger the lives of thousands of innocent people who have already suffered enough at the hands of the Myanmar government.