US State Dept hits Myanmar military officials with sanctions, travel restrictions

The US State Department has announced sanctions on four top Burmese military officials over atrocities and extrajudicial killings committed during the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state. In a statement that stopped short accusing the military of genocide, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the officers’ “involvement in gross violations of human rights” and the government’s refusal “to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and abuses.”

Under the new sanctions, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win, Brigadier General Than Oo, Brigadier General Aung Aung, and their immediate family members are barred from traveling to the US.

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