Tillerson calls for credible probe into rights abuses in Myanmar

11/15/2017 10:31:50 AM

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attends as U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside the ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines November 13, 2017

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) NOV. 15, 2017- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday called for a credible investigation into allegations of human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims after a meeting with Myanmar’s civilian and military leaders.

More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August, driven out by a Myanmar military counter-insurgency clearance operation in Rakhine State that a top U.N. official has described as a textbook case of “ethnic cleansing”.

“Scenes of what occurred are just horrific,” Tillerson told a joint news conference with Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto head of a civilian administration that is less than two years old and shares power with the military.

Tillerson held separate talks with the commander of Myanmar’s armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.