U.S. says it is considering sanctions over Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya

[webfact]

U.S. says it is considering sanctions over Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya

 

Rohingya refugees line up to receive humanitarian aid in Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, October 23, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is taking steps and considering a range of further actions over Myanmar's treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority, including targeted sanctions under its Global Magnitsky law, the State Department said on Monday.

 

"We express our gravest concern with recent events in Myanmar's Rakhine state and the violent, traumatic abuses Rohingya and other communities have endured," it said in a statement.

 

It added: "It is imperative that any individuals or entities responsible for atrocities, including non-state actors and vigilantes, be held accountable."

 

Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in large numbers since late August when Rohingya insurgent attacks sparked a ferocious military response, with the fleeing people accusing security forces of arson, killings and rape.

 

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday the United States held Myanmar's military leadership responsible for its crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority.

 

Tillerson stopped short of saying whether the United States would take any action against Myanmar's military leaders over an offensive that has driven more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims out of the country, mostly to neighboring Bangladesh.

 

The State Department made the announcement ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s maiden visit to the region early next month when he will attend a summit of ASEAN countries, including Myanmar, in Manila.

 

It marked the strongest U.S. response so far to the months-long Rohingya crisis but came short of applying the most drastic tools at Washington’s disposal such as reimposing broader economic sanctions suspended under the Obama administration.

 

Critics have accused the Trump administration of acting too slowly and timidly in response to the Rohingya crisis.

 

The State Department said on Monday: "We are exploring accountability mechanisms available under U.S. law, including Global Magnitsky targeted sanctions."

 

Measures already taken include ending travel waivers for current and former members of the military in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and barring units and officers in northern Rakhine state from U.S. assistance, it said.

 

"We have rescinded invitations for senior Burmese security forces to attend U.S.-sponsored events; we are working with international partners to urge that Burma enables unhindered access to relevant areas for the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission, international humanitarian organizations, and media," the statement said.

 

In addition, Washington is "consulting with allies and partners on accountability options at the UN, the UN Human Rights Council, and other appropriate venues," it said.

 

AIMED AT TOP GENERALS?

 

Interviews with more than a dozen diplomats and government officials based in Washington, Myanmar's capital, Yangon, and Europe have revealed that punitive measures aimed specifically at top generals were among a range of options being discussed in response to the Rohingya crisis.

 

Such measures could include the possibility of imposing asset freezes and prohibiting American citizens from doing business with them.

 

Washington has worked hard to establish close ties with Myanmar's civilian-led government led by Nobel laureate and former dissident Aung San Suu Kyi in the face of competition from strategic rival China.

 

Forty-three U.S. lawmakers urged the Trump administration to reimpose U.S. travel bans on Myanmar's military leaders and prepare targeted sanctions against those responsible for the crackdown.

 

The Magnitsky Act, originally passed in 2012, imposed visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials linked to the 2009 death in prison of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old Russian whistleblower. It has since been expanded to become the Global Magnitsky Act, which could be used against the generals in Myanmar.

 

(Reporting by Eric Walsh and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-10-24

[craigt3365]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Tillerson stopped short of saying whether the United States would take any action against Myanmar's military leaders over an offensive that has driven more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims out of the country, mostly to neighboring Bangladesh.

Reports are now saying over 1MM have fled Myanmar.  Sanctions seem in order.

[punchjudy]

[hugh2121]

More meddling in other countries' affairs?

[craigt3365]

3 minutes ago, hugh2121 said:

More meddling in other countries' affairs?

When it involves the lives of 1 million innocent men, women and children, then yes.  I'd sure hope you agree with that.

 

Have you ever been to Myanmar?

[watcharacters]

45 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Reports are now saying over 1MM have fled Myanmar.  Sanctions seem in order.

How many is 1 MM?

[watcharacters]

48 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Reports are now saying over 1MM have fled Myanmar.  Sanctions seem in order.

 

 

What sanctions and by whom?

[craigt3365]

2 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

How many is 1 MM?

Less than 2MM. LOL

[watcharacters]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

Less than 2MM. LOL

 

 

Perfect ans.

[shanesox]

More meddling in other countries' affairs?

Meddling? A country that is burning the homes and ethnic Cleansing and then claiming it’s all “fake” needs to be isolated ! Along with its so called “woman of peace “ san suu yi ! What a fake hypocrite she turned out to be!


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Morch]

1 hour ago, punchjudy said:

 

Thai bashing?

[watcharacters]

18 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

Thai bashing?

 

Would you please take a moment to clarify your  reply?

 

I observe no "Thai bashing" whatsoever.

 

Your opinion?

 

Edit:  

 

Sorry this possibly should have been involving  punchjudy but you are the accuser I believe.  

Edited October 24, 2017 by watcharacters

[Morch]

53 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

Would you please take a moment to clarify your  reply?

 

I observe no "Thai bashing" whatsoever.

 

Your opinion?

 

Edit:  

 

Sorry this possibly should have been involving  punchjudy but you are the accuser I believe.  

 

I was making a lame joke. The other poster was doing his usual thing.

[phantomfiddler]

While America is at it, why don,t they act against Indonesia due to their disgraceful treatment and frequent murdering of Christians ?

[craigt3365]

2 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

While America is at it, why don,t they act against Indonesia due to their disgraceful treatment and frequent murdering of Christians ?

You mean like this?

 

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/us-deplores-religious-killings-in-indonesia/news-story/17f8b7a08dfe2f532864be25f1d5b9c4?sv=62edae7cae41bf7bff8beab9df30c5a9

US 'deplores' religious killings in Indonesia

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, shanesox said:

Meddling? A country that is burning the homes and ethnic Cleansing and then claiming it’s all “fake” needs to be isolated ! Along with its so called “woman of peace “ san suu yi ! What a fake hypocrite she turned out to be!


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

And you can believe everything the Rohingya's are saying as they wouldn't lie about it would they?

 

 

[craigt3365]

7 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

And you can believe everything the Rohingya's are saying as they wouldn't lie about it would they?

 

 

Hard to argue with the facts.  1 million refugees in Bangladesh.  Where there's smoke, there's fire.

[mikebike]

One side of the mouth threatens genocide in NK. The other side of the mouth admonishes Mynamar. Facepalm.

[CG1 Blue]

3 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

When it involves the lives of 1 million innocent men, women and children, then yes.  I'd sure hope you agree with that.

 

Have you ever been to Myanmar?

I've read the majority of the Rohingya Muslims (1.1m total population) were brought into Myanmar as cheap labour during British rule. Since the country gained independence the native Burmese have wanted them to go back to India / Bangladesh, as they were part of a British arrangement.  This has led to decades of unrest and violence.

As I understand it this current crisis was sparked when Rohingya insurgents attacked a police facility.  I gather the military decided enough is enough, and basically drove them out of the country.

 

It's hard to know who to believe, and who is innocent in all this.

 

[craigt3365]

49 minutes ago, mikebike said:

One side of the mouth threatens genocide in NK. The other side of the mouth admonishes Mynamar. Facepalm.

Please provide a link that shows the US is threatening genocide in NK.  Perhaps making the peninsula a nuclear free zone?  What's wrong with that?

 

So you are OK with Myanmar doing genocide?  Facepalm.

[craigt3365]

8 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

I've read the majority of the Rohingya Muslims (1.1m total population) were brought into Myanmar as cheap labour during British rule. Since the country gained independence the native Burmese have wanted them to go back to India / Bangladesh, as they were part of a British arrangement.  This has led to decades of unrest and violence.

As I understand it this current crisis was sparked when Rohingya insurgents attacked a police facility.  I gather the military decided enough is enough, and basically drove them out of the country.

 

It's hard to know who to believe, and who is innocent in all this.

 

Some 50 Rohingya insurgents attacked a police station with sticks and knives.  Maybe a few other ancient weapons.  In return, 1 million are kicked out.  Seems a bit unfair.

 

Not sure where you are from, but I dare say your country wouldn't do that based on an insignificant incident with your minority population.

[CG1 Blue]

3 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Some 50 Rohingya insurgents attacked a police station with sticks and knives.  Maybe a few other ancient weapons.  In return, 1 million are kicked out.  Seems a bit unfair.

 

Not sure where you are from, but I dare say your country wouldn't do that based on an insignificant incident with your minority population.

Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back?

Because I haven't lived around the Rohingyas and learned 1st hand whether or not they were a disruptive faction, I can't really say if kicking them out is unfair. The mainstream media reports suggest it's unfair, I'll give you that.

 

I'm from the UK.  I can't imagine the UK government ever doing something like this.  That's assuming the Islamic extremist issues don't continue to escalate at the current rate.

[shanesox]

 
And you can believe everything the Rohingya's are saying as they wouldn't lie about it would they?
 
 

So they leave their homes be homeless or live in squalor in Bangladesh ? Mynamar going backwards after taking a step forward and must be punished


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[craigt3365]

11 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back?

Because I haven't lived around the Rohingyas and learned 1st hand whether or not they were a disruptive faction, I can't really say if kicking them out is unfair. The mainstream media reports suggest it's unfair, I'll give you that.

 

I'm from the UK.  I can't imagine the UK government ever doing something like this.  That's assuming the Islamic extremist issues don't continue to escalate at the current rate.

If you want to take the time, it's easy to research the history of the Rohingyas and Myanmar.  The Rohingyas have been there for centuries.  Myanmar is a mix of many different ethnic groups.  Many at war with the central military government.  It's a messed up country.

 

This persecution against the Rohingyas has been going on for decades.  I was just in Bangladesh also.  That extremely poor country can't handle taking care of 1 million refugees.  They can barely handle taking care of themselves.

 

It's not just the Rohingyas that are suffering at the hands of the brutal military dictatorship.  Thailand has been dealing with refugees from there for decades.  All due to brutal crackdowns by the military.  Something needs to change.

 

https://www.burmalink.org/background/thailand-burma-border/displaced-in-thailand/refugee-camps/

Quote

When the first refugees arrived in 1984, no one could have ever predicted that only would they still be there 30 years on. Majority of the refugees in the camps are Karen (79.1%) or Karenni (10.3%) from eastern Burma (TBC, December, 2014), who have fled armed conflicts and/or horrendous human rights abuse and persecution by the Burmese military.

I believe upwards of 100,000 refugees have been here in Thailand at one time or another.  What a horrible way to have to live.

[Rimmer]

Some off topic posts and replies have been removed, please stay on topic,  do not deflect or attempt to hijack it thank you. 

[Dumbastheycome]

Considering.  Hmmm. Wait  a  minute.  What  religion  do  these  victims  subscribe  to?  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!    Ok,  we  will con..........sider  it    a  lot  longer  !

[craigt3365]

8 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Considering.  Hmmm. Wait  a  minute.  What  religion  do  these  victims  subscribe  to?  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!    Ok,  we  will con..........sider  it    a  lot  longer  !

Myanmar is also fighting and displacing Buddhists. The government is also spewing propaganda about these minority tribes.  Typical behavior by a dictatorship government.

[Dumbastheycome]

14 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Myanmar is also fighting and displacing Buddhists. The government is also spewing propaganda about these minority tribes.  Typical behavior by a dictatorship government.

That  is  true.  But  is  the  US   considering  that  in view  of  sanctions?

Myanmar deserves selective sanctions   due  to  the  continued  deceptions of  the  dictatorship overall.

Not proposals  of  selective sanction for the  sake of  politically  directed  empathy.

 

[cooked]

On 10/25/2017 at 6:49 AM, craigt3365 said:

If you want to take the time, it's easy to research the history of the Rohingyas and Myanmar.  The Rohingyas have been there for centuries.  Myanmar is a mix of many different ethnic groups.  Many at war with the central military government.  It's a messed up country.

 

This persecution against the Rohingyas has been going on for decades.  I was just in Bangladesh also.  That extremely poor country can't handle taking care of 1 million refugees.  They can barely handle taking care of themselves.

 

It's not just the Rohingyas that are suffering at the hands of the brutal military dictatorship.  Thailand has been dealing with refugees from there for decades.  All due to brutal crackdowns by the military.  Something needs to change.

 

https://www.burmalink.org/background/thailand-burma-border/displaced-in-thailand/refugee-camps/

I believe upwards of 100,000 refugees have been here in Thailand at one time or another.  What a horrible way to have to live.

There are certain very important facts that are generally ignored when talking about this 'Rohingya' affair. 

I put the word 'Rohingya' in inverted commas because they themselves do not refer to themselves as 'Rohingyas' unless they are crying victim when they mysteriously turn up in Europe demanding Asylum. Many Bengalis have learnt the word and are turning up using the word also. There are traces of references to words that look a bit like 'Rohingya' that go back a long way, ion reference to a Muslim element in Burma, but these are difficult to relate to the population that is present today. Unless you read the MSM of course, they have no problem with it.

The British are at fault of course, as always. They imported Bengali Hindus AND Muslims in equal numbers to open up the Rakhine and as administrators. In 1923 in a census 38 000 Muslims were registered in the Rakhine. No problems are reported with the Hindu population of the Rakhine although they got caught up in the terrible push back. !942: the British army was driven out of Burma, but many Bengali Muslims deserted and turned their arms on the Buddhist and HIndu population, and a massacre ensued.

Various attempts on large and small scale have been instigated to annex the Rakhine to Bangladesh since then. After the war the British didn't do much to prevent illegal immigration from Bangladesh and for a long time neither did the Burmese.

In 1972 as an aftermath of the Pakistan/Bangladesh war, the portion of the population that had supported Pakistan fled to Burma. 500 000 plus, this is documented. Many more came over the years and their habit of having 10 children per generation soon out numbered the ethic Burmese. There are many reports of their arrogant and aggressive behaviour during this time.

Now THE IMPORTANT BIT: in 2011 China signed a deal to construct pipelines supplying offshore Burmese hydrocarbaons to China. NOT to Bangladesh, thus supporting the USA in their fight for the petrodollar, which China is undermining. In 2012 the first Muslim riots (in this particular episode) started, Maungdaw was populated by 380 000 Muslims and 20 000 Buddhists (or non-Muslims to put it into context) at the time. Poor old Muslims, it didn't work this time. 

This was just after Friday prayers, June 12. 

The 'Rabid racist Buddhist monks' have left the other groups of Muslims in Burma alone at least for the time being.

I feel sorry for the Rohingya, they have been manipulated by external powers, financing their preachers and ARSA.