Congress seems poised to finally do right for the Rohingya and people of Burma
The BRAVE Burma Act
Thank you to Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) for sponsoring this bill and to Congresspeople Brad Sherman (D-CA), Betty McCollum (R-MN) and Ann Wagner (D-MO) for cosponsoring.
The Myanmar military seized power on February 1, 2021. To resist this military coup, people across Myanmar have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and taken up arms in a new People’s Defense Force. The Burmese people deserve our support in their struggle.
Our champions in Congress have introduced the BRAVE Burma Act (H.R.8863). The bill puts strong Congressional pressure on the U.S. Administration to take action to deprive the Myanmar military of the money, weapons, aviation fuel, and legitimacy that it needs to stay in power.
The “Bringing Real Accountability Via Enforcement in Burma Act,” or BRAVE Burma Act (H.R.8863), would press the U.S. Administration to sanction:
- Burmese state-owned enterprises, such as Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE)
- Myanma Economic Bank (MEB)
- Any foreign persons or companies involved in the jet fuel sector of the Burmese economy
It would also create a U.S. Special Coordinator for Burmese Democracy within the State Department to develop and help implement a comprehensive U.S. strategy to promote human rights and the restoration of civilian government in Burma.
Will you ask your Member of the House to cosponsor this crucial legislation?
The Rohingya GAP Act
Thank you Congressmen Gregory Meeks (D-NY)and Michael McCaul (R-TX) for sponsoring this and to Congresspeople Ami Bera (D-CA), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Young Kim (R-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Daniel Goldman (D-NY), and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-WDC) for your co-sponsorship.
The bill seeks to provide protection, support, and humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees and internally displaced people. It also promotes accountability and a path out of genocide and crimes against humanity for the Rohingya.
The Rohingya are an ethnic minority group predominantly Muslim, who have lived for centuries in the Rakhine State, located on the western coast of Myanmar (Burma). Despite their long history in the region, they have faced genocide, severe discrimination, and persecution, particularly from the Myanmar military and ultra-nationalist groups.
Since the 2017 genocidal attacks by the Burmese military, Rohingya have been persecuted within Myanmar and hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh where they remain in refugee camps. These refugees do not have access to basic healthcare, education, or civil rights.. The situation for the Rohingya inside and outside of Myanmar has only become worse with the military takeover on February 1, 2021. In 2022, the U.S. State Department made a formal determination the Rohingya are subject to a genocide by the Myanmar military.
The Rohingya Genocide, Accountability, and Protection Act (H.R.8936) goes a long way to help end the genocide against the Rohingya as well as offering the community a way back to normalcy, peace, and a real way of life that they have been denied for far too long.
Take action today to tell your Members of Congress to co-sponsor and support his crucial bill.