A(nother) scar on Myanmar

Five years after Myanmar’s military killed thousands of Rohingya and expelled 740,000 of the Muslim minority to neighboring Bangladesh, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the 2016-17 ethnic-cleansing campaign met the definition of genocide.

The top American diplomat cited a U.N. investigation that found Myanmar troops retaliating for attacks on border guard posts committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent,” and a U.S. probe that found mutilations, crucifixions, and the burning and drowning of Rohingya children.

The same military accused of genocide overthrew the government in a coup in February 2021 and has subjected wide swathes of the country to similar brutality.