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Vice President Pence meets Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Singapore on November 14, 2018. Pence is Singapore to attend the 33rd ASEAN Summit. (Bernat Armangue / AP)
SINGAPORE – Vice President Pence told Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday that the violence against Rohingya Muslims in her country was "without excuse" and that she was demanding accountability, underlining the excessive pressure exerted on the Nobel laureate for it to act following the atrocities described by the "genocide" the United Nations.
In a tense exchange before a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the regional summits here, Pence – the highest US official to meet Suu Kyi since the crisis of last year – told Suu Kyi that he was "very eager "to learn the resolution of the Rohingya crisis and its plans on the repatriation of refugees in Bangladesh, a highly criticized process that could begin as early as this week.
"I look forward to hearing the progress you are making by holding those responsible for the violence that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people responsible, [and] created such suffering, "he said, under the eyes of Suu Kyi.
In brief and almost inaudible comments she replied, "We understand our country better than any other country". Suu Kyi added that she wanted to "explain" what Myanmar is doing to make the country a "safer and more prosperous country."
The icy exchange was emblematic of the pressure that Suu Kyi faces at this forum and others following the widely documented atrocities against the Rohingya by the Myanmar army, which the According to the United Nations, this could amount to genocide and sent more than 700,000 refugees from neighboring Bangladesh.
Suu Kyi called Wednesday's meeting with Pence on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this week in Singapore.
It has also been criticized by some members of the ASEAN bloc of 10 members, despite its long-standing policy of non-interference in the affairs of other states in the group. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the organization's chief political officer, told reporters on Tuesday that Suu Kyi "was trying to defend what was indefensible" by not condemning the Myanmar army for its actions.
"They oppress these people to the point of killing them, massacres," he said.
[A year after the assault on the Rohingya, Myanmar’s generals are unapologetic]
A senior White House official said Pence had also repeatedly insisted on his pardon for forgiving two journalists from Reuters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were sentenced to death. Imprisonment for breaking the secret law of the colonial era, considered politically. motivated. The two men reported the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men, which was part of the wider crackdown on Rohingya Muslims last August, when they were arrested in December.
The official refused to comment on Suu Kyi's response to the reporters, or was satisfied with the answer. In his opening remarks before the bilateral meeting, Pence said he was "looking forward" to talking with Suu Kyi about the "bonus" that his country and his administration are giving to a free and independent press.
"In America, we believe in our democratic institutions and ideals, including a free and independent press," said Pence. "The arrest and imprisonment of two journalists last fall has been very troubling for millions of Americans."
Read more:
Rohingyas in Bangladesh love new right to wear pants
Editorial: Myanmar is erasing the very name of Rohingya
United States punishes Myanmar military commanders for their role in "ethnic cleansing"
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