US bans Myanmar army chief over Rohingya ‘ethnic cleansing’

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The US has banned visits by Myanmar’s Army Chief and three other top officers due to their role in the “ethnic cleansing” of the Rohingya minority. 

It also urged accountability for their brutal campaign. The State Department said, it took action against Army Chief Min Aung Hlaing and the others after finding credible evidence they were involved in the violence two years ago that led about 740,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, the US is the first government to publicly take action with respect to the most senior leadership of the Burmese military. Also sanctioned were Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win, Brigadier-General Than Oo and Brigadier General Aung Aung as well as the families of all four officers.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar refuses to grant citizenship or basic rights to the mostly Muslim Rohingyas.