WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Rex Tillerson condemned the reports of atrocities against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, saying those responsible – perhaps the country’s army – will be responsible.
Tillerson said the accounts of Rohingya’s suffering were “heartbreaking” – if the reports were true, then “there would be someone to solve the problem.”
Tillerson will visit South Asia next week – urging the Myanmar government to improve humanitarian opportunities in the West Rakhine population.
Amnesty International accused Myanmar’s security forces of killing hundreds of men, women and children in a systematic campaign to expel the Rohingya. More than 580,000 refugees have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since late August.
“We are really responsible for what is happening,” Tillerson said at the Washington Think Tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The most important thing for us is that the world cannot just stand and witness the atrocities that are being reported in the region.”
He also called on the United States and India to expand strategic relations. He accused China of being accused of challenging the international norms required for global stability.
He said the world needs strong partnerships between the United States and India. He said the two countries share security, free navigation, free trade and combating terrorism goals in the Indo-Pacific region and are increasingly under pressure as “Eastern and Western beacons” of international rules and orders.
Both India and China benefit from the order, but Tillerson said India does so while respecting rules and norms, while China “sometimes” destroys them. To express his point, he hints at the sea of Beijing’s long-standing dispute with its Southeast Asian neighbors in the sea of China’s island architecture and vast territorial claims.
“China’s provocative actions in the South China Sea directly challenge international law and norms that both the United States and India represent,” Tillerson said.
He added that the U.S. seeks constructive relations with China but “will not reduce” the challenges it poses when it “subverts the sovereignty of its neighbors and is at a disadvantage to the U.S. and our friends.”
In the past decade, U.S.-India relations have generally flourished, partly due to their shared concern about the rise of China. While President Donald Trump hopes to deepen cooperation with China to resolve the North Korean nuclear threat, he also seeks to build closer ties with India, which has concerns about Islamic extremism.
“In this time of uncertainty and anxiety, India needs to have a reliable partner on the world stage. I want to be clear: With our shared values and vision for global stability, peace and prosperity, the United States is that partner.”
Tillerson said the U.S. hopes to help improve India’s military capabilities and improve security cooperation among major democracies in the region, including Japan and Australia.
Tillerson said the United States and India are leading efforts against terrorism. He called on India’s Pakistan to “take decisive action against terrorist organizations based on threatening their people and within the borders that are wider.”
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