Blinken says US weighing new sanctions on Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is weighing tough new sanctions on Myanmar to pressure the country's military leaders to restore a democratic path interrupted by a February coup

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is weighing tough new sanctions on Myanmar to pressure the country’s military leaders to restore a democratic path interrupted by a February coup.

Blinken said the situation in Myanmar in the 10 months since the coup had “gotten worse" with mass arrests and violence against protesters. And he said the administration is also looking “very actively” at designating ongoing repression against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim population as a “genocide.”

“I think it’s going to be very important in the weeks and months ahead to look at what additional steps and measures we can take individually, collectively to pressure the regime to put the country back on a democratic trajectory,” Blinken said.

Blinken made the comments on Wednesday in Malaysia, where he is on the second leg of a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia. His Malaysian counterpart said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations must also act, saying the regional grouping must do some “soul-searching” about its policy toward member Myanmar.