Washington (November 3, 2017): A Bill seeking slapping sanctions on Myanmar, particularly its military junta, over the treatment of country’s minority Rohingya Muslims was moved at the US Senate yesterday.
The move is considered the strongest effort by Washington to bring genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar thousands of whom have been slaughtered barbarically by majority Buddhist population while hundreds of thousands have to fled to country’s border with Bangladesh for safety.
The legislation would reimpose some sanctions lifted last year as Myanmar returned to democracy. The legislation will also bar the United States from supplying assistance to the country’s military until perpetrators of atrocities against the Rohingya are held accountable.
The legislation is sponsored by lawmakers including the Republican Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain, and Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Among other things, the legislation will re-impose a ban on jade and rubies from Myanmar and requires a report on which individuals should be subjected to sanctions.
The US State Department also announced yesterday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson would accompany Trump on his trip to Asia, and also stop in Myanmar.
It may be mentioned here that more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Rakhine state in Buddhist-majority Myanmar since security forces responded to Rohingya militants’ attacks in August this year with a crackdown that has included reports of burnt villages and widespread killings.
The United Nations has denounced it as a classic example of ethnic cleansing.
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