WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson condemned atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and said those responsible — possibly the country’s military — will be held accountable.
Tillerson says accounts of Rohingya suffering are “heartbreaking” — and if these reports are true, “someone will be held accountable for this.”
Tillerson – who is scheduled to visit South Asia next week – is urging the Myanmar government to improve humanitarian access to people in western Rakhine state.
Amnesty International accused the security forces in Myanmar of killing hundreds of men, women and children during a systematic campaign to expel the Rohingya. More than 580,000 refugees have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since late August.
“We hold the military leadership accountable for what is happening,” Tillerson said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. “What is most important to us is that the world cannot stand idly by and bear witness to the atrocities being reported in that region.”
On Wednesday, he also called on the United States and India to expand strategic relations. He clearly criticized China, which he accused of defying international standards necessary for global stability.
He said the world needs a strong partnership between the United States and India. He added that the two countries share the goals of security, freedom of navigation, free trade and counter-terrorism in the Indo-Pacific region, and serve as “eastern and western beacons” of a rules-based international order that is under increasing pressure.
Both India and China have benefited from this system, but Tillerson said India did so while respecting rules and norms, while China undermined those rules “at times.” To illustrate his point, he alluded to China’s island building and expanding territorial claims in seas where Beijing has long-standing disputes with its Southeast Asian neighbors.
“China’s provocative actions in the South China Sea represent a direct challenge to international law and norms that the United States and India defend,” Tillerson said.
He added that the United States seeks to establish constructive relations with China, but it “will not back down” from the challenges it poses when it “undermines the sovereignty of neighboring countries and harms the United States and our friends.”
Relations between the United States and India have generally flourished in the past decade, in part because of their shared concerns about the rise of China. While President Donald Trump has looked to deepen cooperation with China in confronting the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, he has also sought a closer relationship with India, which shares US concerns about Islamic extremism.
“In this period of uncertainty and anxiety, India needs a trusted partner on the global stage. I want to make clear: With our shared values and vision of global stability, peace, and prosperity, the United States is that partner,” Tillerson said.
Tillerson said the United States wants to help improve India’s military capabilities, as well as improve security cooperation between major democracies in the region, which include Japan and Australia.
Tillerson said that the United States and India are leading regional efforts to combat terrorism. He called on Pakistan, India’s arch-rival, to “take decisive action against terrorist groups based within its borders that threaten its people and the broader region.”