US to sanction at least 1 person for Myanmar violence

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. plans to impose sanctions on one person responsible for the crackdown on Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims. Others may be punished too.

It would mark the first new sanctions on Myanmar since Washington began easing restrictions five years ago to reward the Southeast Asian nation's shift toward democracy after decades of direct military rule.

Tillerson did not say Friday who would be targeted by the sanctions and when.

The Trump administration is expected to announce as early as next week designations under a U.S. law that allows targeted sanctions on foreign individuals for human rights violations and corruption.

The crackdown by Myanmar's security forces has prompted 630,000 refugees to escape to neighboring Bangladesh. The U.S. last month called it "ethnic cleansing" and threatened punishments.