US defence act includes sanctions on Myanmar military officials

The US House of Representatives has passed the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defence Authorisation Act that includes sanctions on Myanmar officials responsible for ethnic cleansing, reports UNB. 

"The NDAA also addresses other urgent priorities, including ethnic cleansing in Burma," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) said in a statement issued on Thursday following the passage of the Act. 

This provision imposes new sanctions on Burmese military officials and bars their forces from US joint drills, Royce said. 

Over the past year, the Myanmar military has escalated its decades-long campaign against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority. 

More than 700,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee and thousands have been slaughtered. 

"Entire villages have been burned and bulldozed. I want to thank Ranking Member Engel for authoring this important provision to help put a stop to these atrocities," Royce said. 

"In an increasingly dangerous world, it's critical that our troops have the support they need to keep America safe. This bill includes vital funding for military training and much-needed equipment, and I was pleased to join a strong bipartisan majority in passing it through the House.