US state secretary calls for investigation into Rohingya crisis but goes against new sanctions on Myanmar
Naypyidaw, November 16: Since August Myanmar has been facing a major crisis due to ongoing violence in Rakhine state. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw to discuss the issue. Tillerson said he is “deeply concerned” about the continuing atrocities involving the Rohingya. He called for an independent investigation into Myanmar's Rohingya crisis.
“Well, there are various sanction bills that are being drafted and considered, and I’ve been trying to follow those as best I can while I’ve been on the road for a couple of weeks, but I will be looking carefully at those when I return to Washington tomorrow night,” he said. But he added, “I think broad-based economic sanctions against the entire country are not something that I would think would be advisable at this time.”
Tillerson also condemned the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. He said US supports Myanmar’s new transition into democracy. But he said the investigation important for not only to hold accountable for the violence but also for the motivations behind it.
What UN called classic textbook example of ethnic cleansing, Myanmar has denied such allegation. It has also denied entry to UN investigators looking into allegations. Aung SanSuu Kyi has been blamed for remaining silent but in a joint press conference with Tillerson, she said she had "not been silent".
"What people mean is what I say is not interesting enough," she said. "What I say is not meant to be exciting, it's meant to be accurate... not set people against each other," she added. She mentioned State Counselor’s Office has issued many statements on the matter.