US senators: Sanction Myanmar army leader

WASHINGTON:  Senators called Wednesday for the United States to slap sanctions on Myanmar's army chief, saying more needed to be done to bring accountability over the campaign against the Rohingya.

In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the four senators said Myanmar has shown "no credible signs of progress" despite widespread international condemnation of the killings and sexual violence against members of the mostly Muslim minority.

Senators including Dick Durbin, the number-two Democrat, said that sanctions against Myanmar's army chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, as well as other top officers would demonstrate "US intolerance for behavior that contravenes fundamental human rights."

"The Trump administration has taken no action against these senior officials even though sanctions designations would send a strong message that the United States supports accountability for those perpetrating well-documented human rights abuses against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities," wrote the group that also included Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana, which has become a hub for refugees from Myanmar.

The Treasury Department in August imposed sanctions on four commanders accused of orchestrating massacres, but the senators said the move was insufficient. - AFP