WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)—Representative Eliot L. Engel, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, delivered the following remarks in support of H.Res. 418, Urging the Government of Burma to end the persecution of the Rohingya people and respect internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious minority groups within Burma:
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my good friend and Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Mr. McGovern, the gentleman from Massachusetts, for authoring this important resolution.
“H.Res. 418 calls on the Government of Burma to end its persecution of the Rohingya people and to respect the human rights of all ethnic and religious minority groups.
“The plight of the Rohingya gets very little public attention, and I’m pleased that this House is addressing the abuses they and other minorities have suffered.
“The State Department’s 2013 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices acknowledged ‘credible reports of extrajudicial killings, rape and sexual violence, arbitrary detentions and torture and mistreatment in detention, deaths in custody, and systematic denial of due process and fair trial rights, overwhelmingly perpetrated against the Rohingya.’
“Last month the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma stated that the recent developments in Burma reflect a ‘long history of discrimination and persecution against the Rohingya Muslim community which could amount to crimes against humanity.’
“The UN has also described the Rohingya community as ‘virtually friendless’ because they are denied citizenship, and face severe restrictions on marriage, employment, health care, education, and daily movement.
“In February, the Burmese government expelled Doctors Without Borders, and since then, deaths due to preventable complications during pregnancy have occurred on an almost daily basis in Rohingya camps, where pregnant women make up a quarter of the group’s emergency referrals.
“Mr. Speaker, as the Government of Burma transitions from decades-long military rule to a civilian government, it is important to hold it accountable for persistent human rights abuses. The killings, arbitrary detentions, and destruction of homes have caused 140,000 people to be internally displaced and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee to neighboring countries including Thailand, Bangladesh and Malaysia.
“If Burma truly seeks to rejoin the international community, the manner in which it treats its own people will be a key marker of the government’s sincerity. Burma must abide by human rights principles of equality and human dignity, and this resolution calls upon the Burmese government to do just that.
“I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.Res. 418.,..”
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Preceding provided by Rep. Elliot Engel
Thank you for your moral leadership on this important issue. We will probably need to keep pushing against the clever government of Burma (Myanmar) which has very mixed feelings about democracy not to mention some of their minority populations. This is not only a “Muslim issue” but I will include our statement — we are ready to partner to find peaceful and just solutions to problems: Burma Task Force USA
For Immediate Release
May 8, 2014
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BURMA TASK FORCE USA COMMENDS CONGRESS
FOR PASSING IMPORTANT RESOLUTION TO PROTECT ROHINGYA
Burma Task Force USA commends Congressional representatives of both parties for the decision yesterday to overwhelmingly pass Resolution 418 urging the government of Burma (Myanmar) to end the persecution of the Rohingya people, to respect human rights for all ethnic and religious minority groups within Burma and to restore the citizenship of Rohingya people.
Introduced by Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) and cosponsored by 50 representatives, this resolution is an important and necessary step in supporting the survival of Rohingya, the indigenous people in their ancestroal land. As President Obama stated in a visit to the region in late April, “Myanmar won’t succeed if the Muslim population is oppressed.”
As a coalition of national Muslim American organizations, Burma Task Force has energetically promoted this important resolution, mobilizing a social media community numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Members of the Task Force also acknowledge the hard work of our partners in the human rights advocacy community.
“The relative speed of this Resolution’s passage is a sign not only of our members’ strong commitment to human rights, but also of the extreme seriousness of the current situation in Myanmar,” stated Imam Malik Mujahid, Chairman of Burma Task Force USA. “We have now won a battle but must not lose the overall struggle against genocide. The miserable situation of the Rohingya people is shocking and quite horrific.”
Burma Task Force will continue to raise awareness about the Myanmar government’s many human rights restrictions that keep Rohingya confined in displacement camps and restrict them from free movement, marriage and building families; that enable mob attacks and massive land confiscations; that exclude Rohingya from the national census and keep them as “stateless population”; and that now cut off their access to life saving medical services.
“As Muslim Americans we embrace all Burmese of good will and stand with them to demand clear-sighted US policies that prioritize progress in human rights protection. At the same time, those responsible of mass rapes and mass murder of Rohingyas should be charged with crimes against humanity and genocide by the International Court of Justice,” declared Imam Mujahid.
Muslim American volunteers in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Houston as well as several towns in California will continue to organize rallies and panel discussions, meet with elected officials and media as well as local Buddhist leaders to build bridges.