US blames Myanmar military leaders for crisis

It’s up to the military leadership of Burma to decide, ‘What direction do they want to play in the future of Burma?’

Rex Tillerson

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States held Myanmar’s military leadership responsible for its crackdown on the Rohingya Muslims.

But he stopped short of saying whether the United States would take any action against Myanmar’s military leaders.

Washington has worked hard to forge close ties with Myanmar’s civilian-led government led by Nobel laureate and former dissident Aung San Suu Kyi in the face of competition from strategic rival China.

“The world can’t just stand idly by and be witness to the atrocities that are being reported in the area,” Tillerson told Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank on Wednesday.

“We really hold the military leadership accountable for what’s happening.”.

Forty-three US lawmakers urged the Trump administration to reimpose US travel bans on Myanmar’s military leaders and prepare targeted sanctions against those responsible for the crackdown.

The request, in a letter to Tillerson from Republican and Democratic members of the House of Representatives, said Myanmar authorities “appear to be in denial” and called for Washington to take “meaningful steps” against those who have committed human rights abuses.

Tillerson said the Myanmar military had to be disciplined and allow access to the region “so that we can get a full accounting of the circumstances”.

“It’s up to the military leadership of Burma (the former name of Myanmar) to decide, ‘What direction do they want to play in the future of Burma?’” he said.