Afrida Ahmed
Rex Till-erson, US Secretary of State said Myanmar’s military action against the Rohingyas is a part of ethnic cleansing. He also said that Muslim Rohingyas had endured dreadful abuse and as a result, the US decided to impose sanction to give punishment against those responsible. ‘These abuses by the Burmese military and security forces caused horrific suffering due to which thousands of men, women and children were forced to leave their homes in Burma and seek refuge in Bangladesh,’ he said in a statement. He also mentioned the US wanted an independent investigation into events in Rakhine state and targeted sanctions could follow. He wanted the people who were responsible for this cause to get caught and held accountable. Pramila Patten, who met many Rohingya victims of sexual violence in Bangladesh camps said she completely supported the assessment by UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein that Rohingyas had been victims of ‘ethnic cleansing’.A UN official in September described the military actions as a case of ‘ethnic cleansing’, but the US avoided the term until now.
Source: The Guardian and BBC.