Tillerson tells Myanmar army chief U.S.
concerned about reported atrocities
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[October 27, 2017]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke on Thursday with Myanmar's army
chief and expressed concern over reported atrocities against Rohingya
Muslims in Rakhine state, the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
Tillerson urged the army chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to
support the Myanmar government in ending the violence and allowing the
safe return of ethnic Rohingya who have fled the area, the statement
said.
More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Rakhine state in
Buddhist-majority Myanmar, mostly to neighboring Bangladesh, since
security forces responded to Rohingya militants' attacks on Aug. 25 by
launching a crackdown.
The State Department is considering formally declaring the crackdown on
Rohingya Muslims to be ethnic cleansing.
In his call with Min Aung Hlaing, Tillerson also urged the Myanmar
military to facilitate humanitarian aid for displaced people, allow
media access and cooperate with a U.N. investigation into allegations of
human rights abuses, the State Department said.
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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives back at Joint Base
Andrews in Maryland, U.S. October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Alex
Brandon/Pool
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Pressure has mounted for a tougher U.S. response to the Rohingya
crisis ahead of President Donald Trump’s maiden visit to Asia next
month when he will attend a summit of Southeast Asian countries,
including Myanmar, in Manila.
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(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Grant
McCool)
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