U.S. weighs calling Myanmar's Rohingya crisis 'ethnic cleansing'

Rohingya refugees wait to receive humanitarian aid at Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh October 24, 2017. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department is considering formally declaring the crackdown on Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims to be ethnic cleansing, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, as lawmakers called for sanctions against the Southeast Asian country’s military.

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.