Bill Summary
This legislation expresses the sense of the Senate that the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh should ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the Burmese military's ethnic cleansing campaign. It also calls for the immediate release of imprisoned journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and condemns the ongoing discrimination and human rights violations against the Rohingya people. The legislation also highlights the need for accountability for the Burmese military and a transparent pathway to citizenship for Rohingya refugees returning to Burma. Additionally, it expresses concern about the crackdown on journalists and press freedom in Burma and calls for a robust diplomatic strategy to hold the Burmese government accountable.
Possible Impacts
1. The legislation calls for the safe and dignified return of Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the Burmese military's ethnic cleansing campaign, highlighting the need for safety, dignity, and a transparent pathway to citizenship for those returning to Burma. This will greatly impact the lives of the refugees, who have been forced to flee their homes and face ongoing discrimination and human rights violations.
2. The legislation condemns the arrest and imprisonment of journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were reporting on the situation in Rakhine State. This not only affects the journalists themselves, but also highlights the ongoing crackdown on journalists and press freedom in Burma, impacting the ability of the media to report on important issues and hold the government accountable.
3. The legislation also expresses concern about the violence and displacement inflicted on Burma's ethnic minorities and calls for accountability for the Burmese military. This will have a significant impact on the affected communities, who have long suffered from discrimination and human rights violations. It also shows the commitment of the Senate to address these issues and seek justice for those affected by the conflict.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 34 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 134
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 34
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Governments of Burma and
Bangladesh ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable
return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign
of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military and to
immediately release unjustly imprisoned journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw
Soe Oo.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 29, 2019
Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Collins, Mrs.
Feinstein, Mr. Young, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Tillis, Ms. Warren, Mr. Kaine,
Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Brown, Mr. Markey, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Sanders, Mrs.
Murray, Mr. Coons, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Schatz, Ms.
Harris, Mr. Peters, Mr. Warner, Mr. King, Mr. Braun, and Mr. Cruz)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
July 8, 2019
Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment and an amendment to the
preamble and an amendment to the title
[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Governments of Burma and
Bangladesh ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable
return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign
of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military and to
immediately release unjustly imprisoned journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw
Soe Oo.
Whereas, on August 25, 2017, attacks on security posts in Burma by the Arakan
Rohingya Salvation Army militant group resulted in a brutal, systematic,
and disproportionate reprisal by the Burmese military and security
forces on Rohingya villages in Rakhine State;
Whereas approximately 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since
the Burmese military commenced its scorched-earth campaign, with the
burning of villages and local monuments, and reports of widespread gang
rape, starvation, killing, and forcible deportation;
Whereas the August 2018 United Nations report of the Independent International
Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar states in paragraph 87 that ``the
Mission concluded . . . that there is sufficient information to warrant
the investigation and prosecution of senior officials in the Tatmadaw
chain of command, so that a competent court can determine their
liability for genocide in relation to the situation in Rakhine State'';
Whereas, on August 28, 2018, then-United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Nikki Haley reported to the United Nations Security Council that the
Department of State had conducted interviews with 1,024 Rohingya
refugees in camps throughout Cox's Bazar and that the results of the
interviews were consistent with the United Nations Independent
International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar;
Whereas, on September 24, 2018, the Department of State report titled,
``Documentation of Atrocities in Northern Rakhine State'', concluded
that the military's attacks in Burma's Northern Rakhine State were
``large-scale, widespread and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing
the population and driving out the Rohingya residents'' and that the
``scope and scale of the military's operations indicate that they were
well-planned and coordinated'';
Whereas, on December 3, 2018, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
concluded that ``there is compelling evidence that the Burmese military
committed ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and genocide
against the Rohingya'';
Whereas the Government of Burma has consistently denied access to the United
Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar established to investigate human
rights violations around the country;
Whereas the fundamental operational principles of voluntary repatriation are
safety, to include legal and physical safety, and dignity, to include
treatment with respect and full acceptance by their national
authorities, including the full restoration of refugees' rights;
Whereas approximately 236,000 Rohingya refugees returned to Burma from
Bangladesh under the terms of a 1992 agreement after a previous bout of
violence against the Rohingya forced them to flee, only to continue to
be denied citizenship, face prejudice, violence, and persecution, and in
many instances be forced to live in internally displaced persons (IDP)
camps with their freedom of movement restricted;
Whereas Burma's 1982 citizenship law stripped Rohingya of their Burmese
citizenship, rendering them stateless;
Whereas the Government of Burma continues to systematically discriminate against
the Rohingya people, a long-persecuted Muslim minority within Burma,
including by continuing to restrict registration of Rohingya births and
to deny them freedom of movement, access to healthcare, land, education,
marriage, voting rights, and political participation;
Whereas the Government of Burma has repeatedly abused land use laws to unjustly
seize land from Rohingya refugees;
Whereas the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) is working
closely with the Government of Bangladesh and partners to provide
protection and assistance to the Rohingya refugees and to support the
host populations affected by the influx;
Whereas, on November 23, 2017, the Government of Burma and the Government of
Bangladesh signed an agreement, known as the ``Arrangement'', on the
return of displaced persons from Rakhine State, which is modeled after
the 1992 repatriation agreement between Burma and Bangladesh;
Whereas the Arrangement includes references to restoring normalcy and human
rights in Rakhine State, for refugee returns to comply with
international standards of safety, dignity, and voluntariness, and to
commencing a process to address root causes in line with the Rakhine
Advisory Commission recommendations;
Whereas the Department of State has assessed that Burma has not made progress on
the ``more crucial'' of the 88 recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory
Commission that are identified by Rohingya refugees as prerequisites to
repatriation including freedom of movement, civil documentation, and a
transparent pathway to citizenship;
Whereas, on June 6, 2018, the Government of Burma reached a tripartite
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UNHCR and the United Nations
Development Agency (UNDP) on its role in the safe, dignified, and
voluntary return of Rakhine State refugees;
Whereas Rohingya refugees currently hosted in Bangladesh demonstrated in protest
against an initial November 2018 repatriation plan between the
Governments of Bangladesh and Burma, citing concerns for their security
and the lack of meaningful political reforms in Burma to include full
citizenship;
Whereas UNHCR, on January 4, 2019, reported that conditions in Burma's Rakhine
State remain ``not conducive to return'' on the heels of the Government
of India's regrettable decision to repatriate 16,000 Rohingya to Burma
without having first ascertained the ``voluntariness of their decision
to return'';
Whereas, throughout this process, the Government of Burma has restricted media
freedom and jailed journalists;
Whereas, on December 12, 2017, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, two journalists
reporting and documenting atrocities against the Rohingya, were arrested
and on January 10, 2018, formally prosecuted with violating the
``Official Secrets Act'';
Whereas Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Soo had uncovered a massacre of 10 Rohingya men
perpetrated by Burma's security forces and aided by local Buddhist
villagers in the village of Inn Din in Rakhine State;
Whereas, on September 3, 2018, Yangon northern district judge Ye Lwin ruled that
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo breached the colonial-era Official Secrets Act
and sentenced them each to seven years in prison with hard labor;
Whereas, on January 11, 2019, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo's appeal of their
conviction before the Yangon Regional High Court was denied;
Whereas Time Magazine named Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo as co-recipients of 2018
Time Magazine's ``Person of the Year'' in recognition for their
courageous reporting;
Whereas Vice President Mike Pence tweeted his concern over the sentence against
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for ``doing their job reporting on the
atrocities being committed on the Rohingya people'';
Whereas United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley described the
conviction as ``another terrible stain on the Burmese government'' and
called for ``their immediate and unconditional release'';
Whereas the Department of State's annual Human Rights Report on Burma for the
year 2017 states that--
(1) ``legal provisions that allow the government to manipulate the
courts for political ends, and these provisions were sometimes used to
deprive citizens of due process and the right to a fair trial, particularly
with regards to the freedom of expression'';
(2) ``The government continued to detain and arrest journalists,
activists, and critics of the government and the military during the
year.''; and
(3) ``Threats against and arrests of journalists increased. . . .
Freedom of expression was more restricted during the year compared with
2016. This included a higher number of detentions of journalists using
various laws, including laws carrying more severe punishments than those
used previously.'';
Whereas, according to PEN America, the discontinuation of Radio Free Asia's
broadcasting in Myanmar on a domestic channel constitutes a further
shrinking of the space for free expression in the country; and
Whereas, additionally, PEN America reports that--
(1) there continues to be increased legal threats, imprisonment, and
physical harassment of journalists;
(2) there continues to be restrictions on the ability to report from
and receive information on conflict areas; and
(3) the lack of reform of media laws and institutions is driving a
decline in media freedom: Now, therefore, be it
Whereas, on August 25, 2017, attacks on security posts in Burma by the Arakan
Rohingya Salvation Army militant group resulted in a brutal, systematic,
and disproportionate reprisal by the Burmese military and security
forces on Rohingya villages in Rakhine State;
Whereas over 740,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since the Burmese
military commenced its scorched-earth campaign, with the burning of
villages and local landmarks, and reports of widespread gang rape,
starvation, killing, and forcible deportation;
Whereas the August 2018 United Nations report of the Independent International
Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar states in paragraph 87 that ``the
Mission concluded . . . that there is sufficient information to warrant
the investigation and prosecution of senior officials in the Tatmadaw
chain of command, so that a competent court can determine their
liability for genocide in relation to the situation in Rakhine State'';
Whereas, on August 28, 2018, then-United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Nikki Haley reported to the United Nations Security Council that the
Department of State had conducted interviews with 1,024 Rohingya
refugees in camps throughout Cox's Bazar and that the results of the
interviews were consistent with the United Nations Independent
International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar;
Whereas, on September 24, 2018, the Department of State report titled,
``Documentation of Atrocities in Northern Rakhine State'', concluded
that the military's attacks in Burma's Northern Rakhine State were
``large-scale, widespread and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing
the population and driving out the Rohingya residents'' and that the
``scope and scale of the military's operations indicate that they were
well-planned and coordinated'';
Whereas, on December 3, 2018, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
concluded that ``there is compelling evidence that the Burmese military
committed ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and genocide
against the Rohingya'';
Whereas the May 2019 Amnesty International report on war crimes in Rakhine
State, outlines continued human rights violations, including
``indiscriminate attacks'' on civilians, and expresses alarm about the
impact of continued fighting on the food security of Rakhine State;
Whereas, on May 14, 2019, the United Nations International Fact Finding Mission
on Myanmar urged the international community to cut off all financial
aid and other support to the Burmese military;
Whereas the Government of Burma has consistently denied access to the United
Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar established to investigate human
rights violations around the country;
Whereas the fundamental operational principles of voluntary repatriation are
safety, to include legal and physical safety, and dignity, to include
treatment with respect and full acceptance by their national
authorities, including the full restoration of refugees' rights;
Whereas approximately 236,000 Rohingya refugees returned to Burma from
Bangladesh under the terms of a 1992 agreement after a previous bout of
violence against the Rohingya forced them to flee, only to face
continued denial of citizenship, prejudice, violence, and persecution,
and in many instances forced to live in internally displaced persons
(IDP) camps with their freedom of movement restricted;
Whereas Burma's 1982 citizenship law stripped Rohingya of their Burmese
citizenship, rendering them stateless;
Whereas the Government of Burma continues to systematically discriminate against
the Rohingya people, a long-persecuted Muslim minority within Burma,
including by continuing to restrict registration of Rohingya births and
to deny them freedom of movement as well as access to healthcare, land,
education, marriage, voting rights, and political participation;
Whereas the Government of Burma has repeatedly abused land use laws to unjustly
seize land from Rohingya refugees;
Whereas the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) is working
closely with the Government of Bangladesh and partners to provide
protection and assistance to the Rohingya refugees and to support the
host populations affected by the influx;
Whereas, on November 23, 2017, the Government of Burma and the Government of
Bangladesh signed an agreement, known as the ``Arrangement'', on the
return of displaced persons from Rakhine State, which is modeled after
the 1992 repatriation agreement between Burma and Bangladesh;
Whereas the Arrangement includes references to restoring normalcy and human
rights in Rakhine State, ensuring refugee returns comply with
international standards of safety, dignity, and voluntariness, and
commencing a process to address root causes in line with the Rakhine
Advisory Commission recommendations;
Whereas the Department of State assesses that Burma has not made progress on the
``more crucial'' of the 88 recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory
Commission identified by Rohingya refugees as prerequisites to
repatriation, including freedom of movement, provision of civil
documentation, and a transparent pathway to citizenship;
Whereas, on June 6, 2018, the Government of Burma reached a tripartite
Memorandum of Understanding with the UNHCR and the United Nations
Development Agency to promote the safe, dignified, and voluntary return
of Rakhine State refugees, which was extended one additional year to
June 6, 2020;
Whereas Rohingya refugees currently hosted in Bangladesh demonstrated in protest
against an initial November 2018 repatriation plan between the
Governments of Bangladesh and Burma, citing concerns for their security
and the lack of meaningful political reforms in Burma to include
extension of full citizenship;
Whereas UNHCR, on January 4, 2019, reported that conditions in Burma's Rakhine
State remain ``not conducive to return'' on the heels of the Government
of India's regrettable decision to repatriate Rohingya to Burma without
having first ascertained the ``voluntariness of their decision to
return'';
Whereas, throughout this process, the Government of Burma has restricted media
freedom and jailed journalists;
Whereas, on December 12, 2017, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, two journalists
reporting and documenting atrocities against the Rohingya, were arrested
and on January 10, 2018, formally charged with violating the ``Official
Secrets Act'';
Whereas Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Soo had uncovered a massacre of 10 Rohingya men
perpetrated by Burma's security forces and aided by local Buddhist
villagers in the village of Inn Din in Rakhine State;
Whereas, on September 3, 2018, Yangon northern district judge Ye Lwin ruled that
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo breached the colonial-era Official Secrets Act
and sentenced them each to seven years in prison with hard labor;
Whereas Time Magazine named Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo as co-recipients of 2018
Time Magazine's ``Person of the Year'' in recognition for their
courageous reporting;
Whereas the release of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo on May 7, 2019, concluded over
500 days of imprisonment, more than twice the amount of time served by
the soldiers deemed responsible for the massacre uncovered by their
reporting;
Whereas, despite the pardon of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, the Department of
State's 2018 annual human rights report on Burma found continued and
widespread restrictions on journalistic activity and other forms of
freedom of expression, stating that--
(1) ``[T]he government appeared to manipulate the courts for political
ends and sometimes deprived citizens of due process and the right to a fair
trial, particularly regarding the freedom of expression.'';
(2) ``The government continued to detain and arrest journalists,
activists, and critics of the government and the military.''; and
(3) ``Threats against and arrests of journalists continued during the
year . . . Authorities arrested, detained, convicted, intimidated, and
imprisoned citizens for expressing political opinions critical of the
government and the military, generally under the charges of defamation,
protesting without a permit, or violating national security laws. This
included the detentions and trials of journalists and other figures,
applying laws carrying more severe punishments than those used
previously.'';
Whereas, according to PEN America press release dated June 13, 2018, ``The
discontinuation of Radio Free Asia's broadcasting in Burma on a domestic
channel constitutes a further shrinking of the space for free expression
in the country''; and
Whereas, additionally, PEN America reports--
(1) increased legal threats, imprisonment, and physical harassment of
journalists;
(2) restrictions on the ability to report from and receive information
on conflict areas; and
(3) lack of reform of media laws and institutions that is driving a
decline in media freedom: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
<DELETED> (1) condemns the violence and displacement
inflicted on Burma's Rohingya and other ethnic
minorities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) urges the Secretary of State to make a
determination whether the actions by the Myanmar military
constitute crimes against humanity or genocide and to work with
interagency partners to impose targeted sanctions on Myanmar
military officials, to include Senior General Min Aung Hlaing,
responsible for these heinous acts through existing
authorities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) condemns the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya
Salvation Army militant group;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) calls on the Government of Burma to allow full
access to Rakhine State and ensure the full participation of
UNHCR, the internationally endorsed organization tasked with
ensuring that refugee returns are voluntary, safe, dignified,
and meet international refugee and human rights standards, and
that the voices of refugees are represented in order to ensure
the sustainability of such returns and to prevent further waves
of displacement;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) commends the positive role of the Government
of Bangladesh in receiving Rohingya refugees to date and urges
the Government of Bangladesh to continue allowing the full
participation of UNHCR and human rights organization in
accessing refugee camps;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) calls on UNHCR and international
nongovernmental organizations to continue to play a role in
monitoring repatriation efforts by the Governments of
Bangladesh and Burma to ensure a process that meets
international norms for voluntary, safe, and dignified
repatriation;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) agrees that any return of Rohingya should
include guarantees that any returns of refugees will be
voluntary and dignified, that there will be no threats to
protection or security upon return, that refugees will be able
to return to their places of origin or other locations as
desired, and be able to enjoy equal rights with others in
Burma, including the restoration or granting of full
citizenship, freedom of movement, and access to basic
services;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) recognizes that any forced relocation of
Rohingya refugees into temporary settlements, IDP camps,
``model villages'', or other areas not of refugees' choosing is
unacceptable;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) calls on the Government of Burma to allow for
a flexible and practical approach to dealing with evidence of
Rohingya residence in Burma, recognizing that the Rohingya
refugees in Bangladesh possess a wide range of documents and
that some refugees have no documents and will need to establish
their residence by other means;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (10) calls on the Government of Burma to address
root causes consistent with the Rakhine Advisory Commission
recommendations and fully implement all of the recommendations
of the Commission, including providing equal access to full
restoration or granting of full citizenship for the Rohingya
population;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (11) calls on the Government of Burma to
acknowledge and address the issue of statelessness for the
Rohingya, the deprivation of rights, and institutionalized and
pervasive discrimination of the Rohingya population in order to
bring about any sustainable solutions;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (12) commends the Government and the people of
Bangladesh for their extraordinary generosity and efforts to
provide shelter and relief for nearly 1,000,000 Rohingya
refugees forced to flee their homes in Burma;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (13) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to
ensure all refugees have freedom of movement and under no
circumstances are subject to unsafe, involuntary, precipitous,
or uninformed returns to Burma;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (14) calls for all the convictions against Wa Lone
and Kyaw Soe Oo to be nullified, for the similar charges
against many other journalists currently awaiting trial to be
dropped, and for the immediate and unconditional release of
these journalists;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (15) expresses concern about the Government of
Myanmar's crackdown on journalists and press freedom throughout
the country;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (16) reaffirms the central role that independent
and professional journalism plays in strengthening democratic
governance, upholding the rule of law, mitigating conflict, and
informing public opinion around the world; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (17) calls upon the United States Government to
continue the United States status as a top global donor nation
to the humanitarian response in Burma and Bangladesh and for
the President's fiscal year 2020 budget request to reflect that
longstanding United States commitment.</DELETED>
That the Senate--
(1) condemns the violence and displacement inflicted on
Burma's Rohingya and other ethnic minorities;
(2) urges the Secretary of State--
(A) to make a determination of whether the actions
by the Burmese military, including Senior General Min
Aung Hlaing, Vice-Senior General Soe Win, Brigadier-
General Aung Aung, and Brigadier-General Than Oo,
constitute gross violations of human rights, war
crimes, crimes against humanity (including sexual or
gender-based violence), or genocide; and
(B) to work with interagency partners to impose
targeted sanctions through existing authorities,
including under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights
Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public
Law 114-328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) and Executive Order
13818 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking the
property of persons involved in serious human rights
abuse or corruption), on Burmese military officials
that have knowingly played a direct and significant
role in the commission of acts that constitute gross
violations of human rights, war crimes, crimes against
humanity (including sexual or gender-based violence),
or genocide;
(3) condemns the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army militant group;
(4) expresses support for potential accountability
mechanisms for Burma, including an ad hoc tribunal, in
consultation with the Rohingya community;
(5) calls on the Government of Burma to allow full access
to Rakhine State and ensure the full participation of UNHCR,
the internationally-endorsed organization tasked with ensuring
that refugee returns are voluntary, safe, dignified, and meet
international refugee and human rights standards, and that the
voices of refugees are represented to ensure the sustainability
of such returns and prevent further waves of displacement;
(6) commends the positive role to date of the Government of
Bangladesh in receiving nearly 1,000,000 Rohingya refugees and
urges the Government of Bangladesh to continue allowing the
full participation of UNHCR and human rights organization in
accessing refugee camps;
(7) calls on UNHCR and international nongovernmental
organizations to continue their important roles in monitoring
repatriation efforts by the Governments of Bangladesh and Burma
to ensure a process that meets international norms for
voluntary, safe, and dignified repatriation;
(8) agrees that any agreement on repatriation of Rohingya
should include guarantees that any returns will be voluntary
and dignified, that there will be no threats to protection or
security upon return, that refugees will be able to return to
their places of origin or other locations as desired, and be
able to enjoy equal rights with others in Burma, including the
restoration or granting of full citizenship, freedom of
movement, and access to basic services;
(9) recognizes that any forced relocation of Rohingya
refugees into temporary settlements, IDP camps, or ``model
villages'' is unacceptable;
(10) calls on the Government of Burma to allow for a
flexible and practical approach to dealing with evidence of
Rohingya residence in Burma, recognizing both that Rohingya
refugees in Bangladesh possess a wide range of documents and
that some refugees have no documents and will need to establish
their residence by other means;
(11) calls on the Government of Burma to address root
causes consistent with the Rakhine Advisory Commission
recommendations and fully implement all of the recommendations
of the Commission, including providing for the restoration or
granting of full citizenship to the Rohingya population;
(12) calls on the Government of Burma to acknowledge,
address, and implement sustainable solutions regarding
statelessness for Rohingya, the deprivation of rights, and
institutionalized and pervasive discrimination against the
Rohingya population;
(13) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to ensure all
refugees have freedom of movement and under no circumstances be
subjected to unsafe, involuntary, precipitous, or uninformed
returns to Burma;
(14) calls on international organizations and the
Government of Bangladesh to ensure access for Rohingya to basic
services, education, and livelihood opportunities;
(15) welcomes the release of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo;
(16) calls for similar charges against other journalists
currently awaiting trial to be dropped, and for the immediate
and unconditional release of these journalists;
(17) expresses concern about the Government of Burma's
crackdown on journalists and press freedom throughout the
country;
(18) reaffirms the central role that independent and
professional journalism plays in strengthening democratic
governance, upholding the rule of law, mitigating conflict, and
informing public opinion around the world;
(19) calls upon the United States Government to ensure the
United States continues to be a top global donor nation to the
humanitarian response in Burma and Bangladesh, and for the
fiscal year 2020 appropriation for State, Foreign Operations,
and Related Programs to reflect that longstanding United States
commitment;
(20) calls on the United States Government to develop a
more robust diplomatic strategy to engage regional partners,
including the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),
to press the Government of Burma to--
(A) improve humanitarian access in Rakhine state;
(B) discourage involuntary returns of Rohingya
refugees back to Burma; and
(C) ensure perpetrators of attacks against the
Rohingya population in 2016 and 2017 are held
accountable;
(21) calls on the United States to regularly support the
funding and resourcing of the United Nations Independent
Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar; and
(22) calls on social media companies, including Facebook,
to take greater steps to mitigate the risks of their platforms
being used for the promotion of violence and discrimination
against Rohingya and other ethnic minorities in Burma.
Amend the title so as to read: ``A resolution expressing
the sense of the Senate that the Governments of Burma and
Bangladesh ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and
sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees who have been
displaced by the campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted by the
Burmese military.''.
Calendar No. 134
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 34
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Governments of Burma and
Bangladesh ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable
return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign
of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military and to
immediately release unjustly imprisoned journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw
Soe Oo.
_______________________________________________________________________
July 8, 2019
Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble and an
amendment to the title