Myanmar to join US-Asean maritime drills despite sanctions

Myanmar’s commander-in-chief and three senior figures are subject to US travel bans for overseeing a bloody crackdown on Rohingya Muslims

The drills come at a time of stepped-up US engagement in the region and amid tensions over rival claims in the South China Sea

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The maritime drills come at a time of stepped-up US engagement in the region amid tensions over the South China Sea. Photo: EPA

Published: 4:55pm, 28 Aug 2019Updated: 11:40am, 29 Aug 2019

Myanmar’s navy will join maritime drills with the US in Southeast Asia next week, a spokesman said on Wednesday, in a rare show of military cooperation despite Washington slapping sanctions on top army brass over the Rohingya crisis.

The inclusion in the drills does not violate US travel bans against Myanmar’s commander-in-chief and three senior figures for overseeing a bloody campaign that drove 740,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh two years ago.

Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s armed forces. Photo: AFP

But there are growing calls to further isolate the military, expand sanctions and prosecute senior leadership for genocide against the stateless minority.

The drills come at a time of stepped-up US engagement in the region and tensions between China and several Southeast Asian nations over rival claims in the South China Sea.

“We were invited as part of Asean [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] for the exercise,” said Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the commander-in-chief’s office in Myanmar.

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