June 14, 2019
Ann Strimov Durbin
Rohingya children living in a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo by Rares Michael Ghilezan
Congress is not giving up on the Rohingya! After much anticipation, the House companion bill to the newest incarnation of the Burma Act was introduced on Tuesday, June 14. The Burma United through Rigorous Military Accountability Act (H.R. 3190) — sponsored by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) — authorizes significant humanitarian assistance and aims to hold Burma’s Tatmadaw military accountable not only for the atrocities it continues to perpetrate against the Rohingya Muslim minority population, but also for campaigns targeting other minority groups within the Buddhist-majority country.
The “Burma Act of 2019” (H.R. 3190) would:
- Prohibit expansion of American military assistance to Burma until reforms take place;
- Require reporting on crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide;
- Impose trade, visa, and financial penalties on those responsible for orchestrating the atrocities;
- Support U.S. assistance in investigations that could lead to the eventual prosecution of war criminals; and,
- Promote reforms to limit the Tatmadaw’s stronghold on Burma’s abundant natural resources.
Rep. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and champion of the Rohingya cause, promised, “We will not rest until there is justice.”
Like Jewish World Watch, certain members of Congress remain steadfast and indefatigable in their refusal to stand idly by in the face of the world’s most recent genocide. This is not the first time Reps. Engel and Chabot have tried to ring the alarm for the Rohingya. They co-sponsored similar legislation two years in a row, only to see it flounder in the Senate. Rep. Chabot spearheaded a successful House resolution last year, which labeled the atrocities committed against the Rohingya by the Tatmadaw as genocide — a significant accomplishment in the face of the the State Department’s persistent refusal to make such a designation, despite mounting evidence from myriad reputable sources including the UN, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Fortify Rights, and the Public International Law and Policy Group — the entity contracted by the State Department to assist in its assessment.
This time around, Reps. Engel and Chabot are back with an even more comprehensive bill that would enact several measures to ensure justice, including targeted sanctions against those in the upper echelons of the Tatmadaw and other bans and financial penalties that follow the cash and impact the many businesses owned by the Tatmadaw and their family members.
On April 11, Senator Ben Cardin (D-M.D.) reintroduced the Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act (S. 1186) in the Senate. Like its House companion, the Senate bill includes targeted sanctions, new funds for humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, periodic reporting on sanctions compliance, and assistance to investigative and justice-seeking mechanisms.
Like Jewish World Watch, certain members of Congress remain steadfast and indefatigable in their refusal to stand idly by in the face of the world’s most recent genocide. This is not the first time Reps. Engel and Chabot have tried to ring the alarm for the Rohingya. They co-sponsored similar legislation two years in a row, only to see it flounder in the Senate. Rep. Chabot spearheaded a successful House resolution last year, which labeled the atrocities committed against the Rohingya by the Tatmadaw as genocide — a significant accomplishment in the face of the the State Department’s persistent refusal to make such a designation, despite mounting evidence from myriad reputable sources including the UN, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Fortify Rights, and the Public International Law and Policy Group — the entity contracted by the State Department to assist in its assessment.
This time around, Reps. Engel and Chabot are back with an even more comprehensive bill that would enact several measures to ensure justice, including targeted sanctions against those in the upper echelons of the Tatmadaw and other bans and financial penalties that follow the cash and impact the many businesses owned by the Tatmadaw and their family members.
On April 11, Senator Ben Cardin (D-M.D.) reintroduced the Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act (S. 1186) in the Senate. Like its House companion, the Senate bill includes targeted sanctions, new funds for humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, periodic reporting on sanctions compliance, and assistance to investigative and justice-seeking mechanisms.
Ann Strimov Durbin is a human rights attorney and the Director of Advocacy and Grantmaking at Jewish World Watch.
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