REX AND THE ROHINGYAS:  TILLERSON SAYS MUSLIMS IN BURMA (MYANMAR) WERE VICTIMS OF 'ETHNIC CLEANSING'

It was the day before Thanksgiving and President Trump's powerful tweets were creating some distracting news, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson finally committed himself on the conflict between the Muslim minority in Myanmar (Burma) and the majority Buddhist population.

Here is a portion of Tillerson's statement:

"....the key test of any democracy is how it treats its most marginalized and vulnerable populations, such as the ethnic Rohingya and other minority populations.   Burma's government and security forces must respect the human rights of all persons within its borders, and hold accountable all those who fail to do so.

I reiterate the United States condemnation of August 25 attacks on security forces by the Arkhan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).   Yet no provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued.   These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds of thousands of men, women and children to flee their homes in Burma to seek refuge in Bangladesh.  After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ETHNIC CLEANSING AGAINST THE ROHINGYA..... "

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's remarks on Rohingya Muslims in Burma (Myanmar) 11/22/2017

The talk of "ethnic cleansing" involving Muslims takes us back to the days of President Bill Clinton and the Balkan conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo.   These conflicts led to military actions by the United States and other nations.

For now, Tillerson says there must be accountability for "atrocities" and a 'credible independent investigation".  His statement adds:

"The United States will also pursue accountability through US law, including possible targeted sanctions."

The government in Myanmar has committed itself to repatriation of those who are refugees in neighboring Bangladesh and is working towards that end.

While Tillerson is admitting in part what Burmese leadership including the country's unofficial leader, Nobel  Peace Prize laureate Aung Sun Suu Kyi, have been trying to tell the world about Muslim terrorism in their country from the Arkhan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) the presumption of guilt as in 'ethnic cleansing' rings louder and clearer.

The United States is indeed 20 trillion dollars in debt and closely aligned with Saudi Arabia and other financially rich Gulf Arab nations.

President Trump did visit Saudi Arabia in May, perform the sword dance with its leaders, and received Saudi commitments to buy military weapons and finance the building of infrastructure in the United States that will help to "Make America Great Again".

The POTUS recently expressed his support for the "reforms" with mass arrests and seizures of assets of powerful people in Saudi Arabia launched by the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

It is in this harsh reality that we find the driving forces behind the United States position on the conflict in Burma (Myanmar).

LINK TO TILLERSON STATEMENT