Myanmar: US temporarily suspends official travel to Rakhine state

Event

The United States government announced on Thursday, November 23, a temporary suspension of all travel by American officials to Rakhine state. The decision was made due to concerns over potential protests after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accused Myanmar of “ethnic cleansing” in the state. The restriction will remain in place until further notice. 

Context

Over 600,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh from Myanmar's Rakhine state amid an army crackdown on the Rohingya community that began following an attack on Burmese security forces in August. The UN has established a fact-finding mission to investigate crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the military during the counteroffensive. The persecution of the Rohingya people in Myanmar has drawn international criticism for alleged human rights violations; the UN has called the military operations a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

Advice

Individuals present in Myanmar are advised to keep abreast of the situation and avoid the Bangladeshi border. Due to poor security conditions, some Western governments and Myanmar authorities advise their citizens against nonessential travel to Rakhine state - with the exception of the southern townships of Kyaukpyu, Ramree, Munaung, Toungup, Thandwe (including the tourist resort of Ngapali), and Gwa - and the Bangladeshi border.