US calls for probe into Myanmar’s Rohingya violence
US SECRETARY of State Rex Tillerson has said his country is deeply concerned by “credible reports” of atrocities committed by Myanmar’s security forces.
Mr Tillerson called for an independent investigation into a humanitarian crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya flee to Bangladesh.
Speaking at a joint news conference with leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar’s capital, Mr Tillerson said the US would consider individual sanctions against people found responsible for the violence but he would not advise “broad-based economic sanctions” against the entire country.
“All of that has to be evidencebased,” Mr Tillerson said.
“If we have credible information that we believe to be very reliable that certain individuals were responsible for certain acts that we find unacceptable, then targeted sanctions on individuals very well may be appropriate.”
His one-day visit comes as a new report said there was “mounting evidence” of genocide against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine state, where a government security operation has caused more than 600,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.
Mr Tillerson also met with Myanmar’s powerful military chief Min Aung Hlaing, who is in charge of operations in Rakhine.
A senior US State Department official said Mr Tillerson would use the visit to “express concerns over the displacement and violence and insecurity affecting Rohingya populations and other local populations”.
Though Ms Suu Kyi has been the de facto head of Myanmar’s civilian government since her party won elections in 2015, she is limited in her control of the country by a constitution written by the military junta that ruled for decades.
Ms Suu Kyi has faced widespread criticism for not speaking out in defence of the Rohingya. At yesterday’s news conference, she denied she had been silent on the issue, saying she had personally commented on the situation.