The U.N. special rapporteur for Myanmar said Thursday the U.S. didn't "go far enough" in sanctions against four top Myanmar generals over the mass killings of minority Rohingya Muslims.
Myanmar's commander in chief and his deputy, two other generals, and their immediate families have been banned from traveling to the U.S. On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the four were responsible for "gross human rights violations" involving extrajudicial killings in an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state.
U.N. envoy Yanghee Lee said the U.S. move was "better late than never" but was inadequate. She said a U.N. fact-finding mission had earlier identified six Myanmar generals, including the four men, who should be sanctioned. The U.S. should also ban the other two and their assets should be seized, she said.
U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar, Lee Yanghee, speaks during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, July 18, 2019. U.N. envoy Lee said the U.S. didn't "go far enough" in sanctions against four top Myanmar generals over the mass killings of Rohingya Muslims. (AP PhotoVincent Thian)
"It doesn't go far enough. It should go further and the perimeters of the sanctions should go further," she said. "Freeze all their assets and the assets of their families too."
The four men are: Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, his deputy Soe Win, and two subordinates deemed responsible for the abuses.
Myanmar's military has been accused of widespread rights violations leading about 700,000 Rohingya to flee the country since August 2017. Critics have urged that its actions be judged by the International Criminal Court.
U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar, Lee Yanghee, speaks during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, July 18, 2019. U.N. envoy Lee said the U.S. didn't "go far enough" in sanctions against four top Myanmar generals over the mass killings of Rohingya Muslims. (AP PhotoVincent Thian)
Lee, who has been barred from entering Myanmar, said Yangon appeared to be increasing pressure on regional governments to prevent her from carrying out her duties and avoid international scrutiny. She said she had to abort part of her trip to Thailand "due to interference" but declined to give details. Her office earlier said she was visiting Thailand and Malaysia from July 8-18.
Lee also slammed Singapore for deporting six Myanmar nationals who were allegedly supporters of the Arakan Army. She said the six were arrested upon their return and were now being held incommunicado.
She said Myanmar's move last month to shutdown mobile internet in nine townships has made it challenging to get information on the ground. She said she has been told that three villages in Rakhine have been burnt down by the military in the past two weeks.
The internet blackout also meant that people in several townships couldn't receive warnings of impending floods in the current monsoon season, resulting in displacement and houses being destroyed, she said.
Lee urged the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to make the crisis in Myanmar a top priority as there are nearly 1.5 million Myanmar refugees in the region, and rampant human trafficking.
She said she has little confidence in Myanmar's plan to send a high-level delegation to Bangladesh to meet Rohingyas in camps there regarding the repatriation and resettlement scheme.
"The situation of human rights in Myanmar is increasingly of serious regional concern and when states in this region engage with Myanmar, this issue should be firmly on the agenda," she added.
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
