Congress members decry ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Myanmar

YANGON/NAYPYITAW: Members of the US Congress said on Tuesday operations carried out against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar had "all the hallmarks" of ethnic cleansing, while the country´s leader Aung San Suu Kyi expressed doubts about allegations of rights abuses.
The US Senate members also said they were disturbed by a "violent and disproportionate" security response to Rohingya militant attacks that have driven more than 600,000 people from Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh.
Human rights monitors have accused Myanmar's military of atrocities, including mass rape, against the stateless Rohingya during so-called clearance operations following insurgent attacks on 30 police posts and an army base.
Myanmar´s government has denied most of the claims, and the army last week said its own probe found no evidence of wrongdoing by troops.
"We are not hearing of any violations going on at the moment," Suu Kyi told reporters in response to a question about human rights abuses at the end of the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw. "We can´t say whether it has happened or not. As a responsibility of the government, we have to make sure that it won´t happen.
"Nobel laureate Suu Kyi said she hoped talks with Bangladesh´s foreign minister this week would lead to a deal on the "safe and voluntary return" of those who have fled. Suu Kyi's less than two-year old civilian government has faced heavy international criticism for its response to the crisis, though it has no control over the generals it has to share power with under Myanmar´s transition to power after decades of military rule.
While a top UN official has described the military´s actions as a textbook case of "ethnic cleansing", US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on a visit to Myanmar last week refused to label it as such. In early November, US lawmakers proposed targeted sanctions and travel restrictions on Myanmar military officials.
Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, who was among the sponsors of the legislation introduced in the Senate, led a congressional delegation that visited Rakhine this week, but was blocked from travelling to the violence-hit north of the state and to Rohingya camps. The group also travelled to Cox's Bazar district in Bangladesh, where Rohingya refugees are huddled into makeshift camps and fed by overstretched aid agencies.
"Many refugees have suffered direct attacks including loved ones, children and husbands being killed in front of them, wives and daughters being raped, burns and other horrific injuries. This has all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing," Merkley told reporters in Myanmar on Tuesday.
"We are profoundly disturbed by the violent and disproportionate response against the Rohingya by the military and local groups," he said. The delegation called for Myanmar to allow an investigation into the alleged atrocities that would involve the international community.
"We want to emphasize that the world is watching," Merkley said, adding that it was important Myanmar allow anyone who wants to come back to return to their homes and their farms.