Alva Review-Courier -

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States declared the ongoing violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar to be "ethnic cleansing" on Wednesday, threatening penalties for military officials engaged in a brutal crackdown that has sent more than 600,000 refugees flooding over the border to Bangladesh.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson blamed Myanmar's security forces and "local vigilantes" for what he called "intolerable suffering" by the Rohingya. Although the military has accused Rohingya insurgents of triggering the crisis, Tillerson said that "no provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities...