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Urging Burma to End Persecution of Rohingya People

Floor Speech

Date: May 7, 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs Health and Health Care Criminal Justice

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, when Doctors Without Borders was able to work in Rakhine, they sent approximately 400 emergency cases every month to local hospitals, but according to the World Health Organization, fewer than 20 people received referrals by the government for emergency care in March. Such a difference suggests that the Rohingya who are in desperate need of emergency care are left to suffer or to die.

In light of these disturbing events, it is important that the House speaks with one voice today and calls on the Government of Burma to end all forms of persecution and discrimination of the Rohingya people and to ensure respect for internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious minority groups within Burma.

The Burmese Government needs to recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group indigenous to Burma and work with the Rohingya to resolve their citizenship status.

Finally, the U.S. Government needs to make the removal of state-sanctioned discriminatory policies a priority in their engagement with the Government of Burma.

Let me be clear: the situation is dire and rapidly deteriorating. Multiple recognized independent human rights NGOs, as well as the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, have stated that the series of actions directed at the Rohingyas in Burma could amount to crimes against humanity.

Further, a recent report by the U.S. NGO, United to End Genocide, states that nowhere in the world are there more precursors to genocide than in Burma right now.

In the past few weeks, we have all taken time to remember and commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and the genocide in Rwanda. We saw the same disturbing signs in other moments of history, and we know what the consequences are of not paying attention. Showing support for this bill is one step that we can take today to fulfilling the solemn pledge of ``never again.''

I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.

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