SINGAPORE _ The U.S. is considering new sanctions on Myanmar after nearly a million Rohingya Muslims fled the Southeast Asian nation's Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh.
In a statement issued on Monday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that since Aug. 25, the U.S. had ceased consideration of JADE Act travel waivers for current and former Myanmar military leaders, and was assessing further economic options available to target individuals associated with any atrocities.
"We express our gravest concern with recent events in Rakhine state and the violent, traumatic abuses Rohingya and other communities have endured," Nauert said. "It is imperative that any individuals or entities responsible for atrocities, including non-state actors and vigilantes, be held accountable."
The statement is one of the first signs that the U.S. would reimpose sanctions on Myanmar that were lifted after it shifted toward democracy. Former political prisoner and current Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has described the military operations in Rakhine as a counterterrorism operation, and has said she condemns any unlawful violence.
Nauert said all Myanmar military units and officers involved in operations in northern Rakhine state would also be ineligible to receive or participate in any U.S. assistance programs. Furthermore, all invitations for senior Myanmar security forces to attend U.S.-sponsored events had been rescinded, she said.
The U.S. was currently consulting with allies and partners on accountability options at the United Nations, the U.N. Human Rights Council, and other appropriate venues, and was also exploring "accountability mechanisms available under U.S. law, including Global Magnitsky targeted sanctions," Nauert said.
Last week, the European Union suspended invitations to senior military officers from Myanmar and said it will review all practical defense cooperation, adding that more steps may be considered if the situation in Rakhine fails to improve.
