[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 34 (Monday, February 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         URGING THE RELEASE OF IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS IN BURMA

  (Ms. McCOLLUM asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge the immediate release of 
two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been 
imprisoned in Burma for their fearless reporting on the atrocities 
being perpetrated against the Rohingya.
  The ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya shocked the conscience of the 
world in part because of the important public testimony gathered by 
these two journalists. In December, these journalists were invited to 
meet with the police, they were handed documents by officers they had 
never met before, and then they were immediately arrested under an 
obscure colonial-era law. The arrest of these journalists and the 
Burmese Government's refusal to grant them bail is highly irregular. It 
seems obvious that the only purpose of their continued detention is to 
chill the independent media in Burma.
  Mr. Speaker, a free press is essential to a democratic society. I 
join the State Department and governments around the world urging Burma 
to release these journalists immediately and to allow them to reunite 
with their families and to return to their important work.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge the immediate release of two Reuters 
journalists--Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo--who have been imprisoned Burma 
for their fearless reporting on the atrocities being perpetrated 
against the Rohingya.
  The ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya has shocked the conscience of 
the world, in part because of the important public testimony gathered 
by these two journalists.
  In December, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were invited to meet with police 
officers in Yangon, were handed documents by two police officers they 
had never met before, and then were immediately arrested for allegedly 
breaching Burma's Official Secrets Act, a little-used colonial era law 
on government secrecy.
  The arrest of these journalists and the Burmese government's refusal 
to grant them bail is highly irregular. It seems obvious that the only 
purpose of their continued detention is to chill the independent media 
in Burma.
  I visited Burma and Bangladesh as part of a Congressional delegation 
in November, and it was clear to me that the urgent humanitarian crisis 
in the region needs more attention from the media and the public--not 
less.
  Despite their ongoing detention, the two journalists agreed to 
Reuters publication this month of their special report detailing the 
role of the military and Rakhine Buddhists in these atrocities. I 
salute these journalists for their willingness to bravely support the 
truth despite the personal risks to them.
  Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are both ethnic Buddhists who grew up in 
Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state. Their work on the ethnic 
cleansing and humanitarian crisis has won a joint honorable mention 
from the Society of Publishers in Asia. Additionally, Wa Lone has 
written an acclaimed children's book and co-founded a charity that 
promotes tolerance between different ethnic groups.
  Government officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and 
United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley have called for the journalists' 
release. Top United Nations officials, as well as the leaders of many 
nations--including Canada and the United Kingdom--have also urged their 
release.
  Mr. Speaker, a free press is essential to a democratic society. I 
join the State Department and governments around the world urging Burma 
to release Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo immediately and allow them to 
reunite with their families and resume their vital work.

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