US finding that Myanmar army committed genocide against Rohingya to have limited effect

WASHINGTON - The United States' official finding on Monday (March 21) that Myanmar's army committed genocide against the country's Rohingya minority is a morale-boosting milestone - but it is unlikely to materially change their status or the fate of over one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Congress, however, will take some action based on the finding, analysts say. This is "the opening salvo in the roll-out of a wider US strategy for responding to the current situation in Myanmar that has been requested by the Senate," Ms Priscilla Clapp, a former top US diplomat in Myanmar and now a senior adviser at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, told The Straits Times.