Violence Against Rohingyas Inexcusable, Mike Pence Tells Suu Kyi

Singapore: US Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday told Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi that the treatment of her country’s stateless Rohingyas Muslim population was inexcusable. “This is a tragedy that has touched the hearts of millions of Americans. The violence and persecution by military and vigilantes which resulted in driving 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh is without excuse,” Pence told Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Singapore. “I’m anxious to hear about the progress you’re making in holding those accountable who are responsible,” he was quoted as saying by CNN.

The Myanmar military has been accused of using rape, murder, and arson in a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing that drove hundreds of thousands to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, where they languish in what has become the world’s largest refugee camp. The Myanmar government has repeatedly denied that its soldiers deliberately attacked unarmed Rohingyas. Pence also expressed concern over the arrest and imprisonment of two Reuters reporters who were investigating an alleged massacre at a Rohingya village by the Army. (IANS)

Also Read: Bangladesh Plans to Repatriate Rohingyas from Thursday