U.S. Calls Myanmar's Actions Against Rohingya Ethnic Cleansing -- 2nd Update
November 22 2017 - 4:11PM
Dow Jones News
By Dion Nissenbaum and Felicia Schwartz
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. on Wednesday declared Myanmar's military
campaign against its Muslim minority "ethnic cleansing," setting
the stage for tougher action against the country that has carried
out "horrendous atrocities" that led to an exodus of people fleeing
the violence.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued his conclusion after
intense pressure from human-rights groups and State Department
staffers who have urged a tougher U.S. stand against Myanmar's
crackdown on its Muslim minority.
More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar since
August, when Rohingya militants attacked government security
forces, triggering a prolonged campaign by the military, security
forces and vigilante groups accused of systematically torturing,
raping, beating and killing members of the Muslim minority.
"No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have
ensued," Mr. Tillerson said in a statement Wednesday, referring to
the country by its former name, Burma. "These abuses by the Burmese
military, security forces and local vigilantes have caused
tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands of men, women
and children to flee their homes in Burma to seek refuge in
Bangladesh."
He added: "After a careful and thorough analysis of available
facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state
constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya."
Mr. Tillerson's assessment follows a visit last week to Myanmar,
where he met with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and the
commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Senior General Min Aung
Hlaing. At the time, Mr. Tillerson declined to declare the violence
ethnic cleansing and said more investigation was needed.
Myanmar officials didn't immediately respond to requests for
comment, although Mr. Tillerson's statement is likely to disappoint
Myanmar's leaders, who sought to cast the military operation as
targeted at militants.
The U.S. declaration sets the stage for Washington to impose
targeted sanctions on Myanmar, a Buddhist-majority nation led by
Ms. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who has faced intense
international criticism for not doing enough to protect her
country's Muslim minority.
Ms. Suu Kyi, who won the prize in 1991 for her nonviolent
campaign against the country's military, has defended her stance
and said that she is working to address a complex situation without
further dividing the country.
Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) called Mr. Tillerson's move "long
overdue" and expressed his disappointment with Ms. Suu Kyi's
response to the crisis.
"We cannot let another massacre occur as the world stands by and
watches, " he said. "The United States has a moral obligation to do
all it can to prevent mass atrocities and make clear to those
responsible for the ethnic cleansing in Burma -- and those who look
to do the same elsewhere -- that their actions will not be
tolerated."
One senior State Department official, speaking Wednesday to
reporters on background, said Ms. Suu Kyi was doing what she could
to address the crisis.
"It's not a situation that is completely under her authority,
but certainly we are counting on her to show leadership and also to
work through the civilian government with the military to address
the crisis, " the official said. "And I think she has been speaking
out."
In September, the United Nations' top human-rights official
declared the situation in Myanmar "a textbook example of ethnic
cleansing." But the U.S. held off on making a similar
declaration.
Muslim refugees who fled the violence described a systematic
campaign of violence that killed, men, women and children. Scores
of villages were burned to the ground. U.N. investigators said they
had documented instances of rape, torture and summary
executions.
Mr. Tillerson acted Wednesday as concerned U.S. lawmakers push
forward bills in the House and Senate to exert pressure on Myanmar
and as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has spoken
about the Rohingya in stronger terms than her boss.
U.S. officials have grappled with competing goals in Myanmar and
said Wednesday they didn't want to push too hard.
Under former President Barack Obama, the U.S. induced the
military junta that controlled the country to share power with the
civilian government, which was finally seated last year, in
exchange for relief from broad-based economic sanctions.
The senior State Department official said Wednesday that while
the U.S. is considering targeted sanctions in response to the
Rohingya crisis, it is avoiding broader sanctions measures to avoid
damaging the country's economy and, with it, future prospects for
the civilian government transition.
Write to Dion Nissenbaum at dion.nissenbaum@wsj.com and Felicia
Schwartz at Felicia.Schwartz@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 22, 2017 15:56 ET (20:56 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.