US working on sanctioning Myanmar officials for oppressing Rohingya

Washington: The United States is “actively working” on sanctioning Myanmar military officials responsible for the oppression of the Rohingya minority, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Richard Albright told reporters on Thursday.

Visa, financial sanctions

“We are taking actions, including the imposition of visa sanctions and financial sanctions, on Myanmar military officials,” Albright said at the telephonic press briefing after the virtual conference on the support of Rohingya refugees.

The United States’ approach of supporting affected people is based on providing humanitarian assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons and holding accountable those who are responsible for atrocities, Albright added.

Aid package for Rohingya refugees

Earlier on Thursday, the United States announced a new aid package worth USD 200 million to support Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar.

According to data provided by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 800,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar’s Rakhine State to Bangladesh between 2017 and 2019 amid clashes there.