[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 141 (Thursday, August 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                            ROHINGYA CRISIS

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, last August, the world watched in horror 
as Burma's military launched an ethnic cleansing campaign of rape, 
arson, and mass murder against the Rohingya.
  Despite the Burmese military's claims that their operations were in 
response to attacks on police outposts by extremists, the evidence is 
clear that the Burmese military had made extensive preparations to 
carry out these operations. Their preparations included systematically 
disarming Rohingya civilians, training and arming non-Rohingya 
communities, and building up an unusually large military and security 
presence in Rakhine, all in anticipation of attacks that included 
extrajudicial executions, rape, expulsions, and mass burning of 
Rohingya villages throughout Rakhine state.
  The military's campaign of ethnic cleansing has forced more than 
720,000 Rohingya--roughly 80 percent of the entire Rohingya population 
in Burma--to flee for safety in Bangladesh, creating the world's worst 
refugee crisis in recent history. The government and people of 
Bangladesh have shown extraordinary generosity by providing safe harbor 
to those fleeing violence in Burma and continuing to keep its border 
open.
  Bangladesh is at a tipping point. Already the world's most populous 
country, there simply isn't enough space or capacity to house this new 
population. Camp conditions for the Rohingya population are miserable. 
Refugees are living in plastic and bamboo shelters dangerously perched 
on the side of clay hills. Children have limited access to education. 
While many would prefer not to rely on limited humanitarian aid, work 
is tough to come by.
  The day-to-day reality for the Rohingya people in Bangladesh is 
bleak, and while many 1 day wish to return home to Burma, they 
rightfully ask for their government to guarantee their safety and to 
recognize their civil and political rights; yet so far, even these 
basic demands are unmet.
  Equally troubling, conditions for the Rohingya who stayed behind in 
Burma remain perilous. Andrew Gilmour, UN Assistant Secretary-General 
for Human Rights, recently declared that while the nature of their 
persecution has changed, there persists a ``lower intensity campaign of 
terror and forced starvation.''
  Burmese officials continue to reject UN and other international 
findings of ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and, 
potentially, genocide. In fact, the Burmese Government has relentlessly 
blocked access to Rakhine state by many humanitarian groups, 
independent media workers, and UN observers, in an attempt to prevent 
the international community from assessing the very violations they 
deny are happening. A New York Times journalist recently gained access 
to Rakhine state and met Rohingya who described living in a constant 
state of fear and repression. She also saw the burnt remnants of what 
used to be Rohingya villages and visited repatriation centers that 
appeared more like ``concentration camps.''
  The horrific and ongoing human rights abuses committed against the 
Rohingya demand a strong response from the United States and the 
international community. I support the U.S. State Department's Bureau 
of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, DRL, and other offices in 
conducting fact-finding efforts analyzing over 1,000 interviews with 
Rohingya civilians and documenting the scope and nature of the 
atrocities committed. I urge Secretary Pompeo to publicly release the 
entire report including any findings of crimes against humanity and 
genocide.
  Furthermore, I strongly urge this administration to lead the 
international community in fully using all appropriate mechanisms to 
secure accountability for the ethnic cleansing, mass atrocities, and 
other potential grave crimes the Burmese military has committed against 
the Rohingya. Accountability is essential if Burma is to continue on a 
path of democratic reform and genuine national and ethnic 
reconciliation.
  This pathway for accountability includes calling for an 
international, impartial, and independent investigation to gather 
evidence on perpetrators, as well as working towards their eventual 
prosecution. I sincerely hope that robust and legitimate investigations 
will ensure that those who orchestrated and perpetrated these brutal 
crimes are brought to justice and that all the people of Burma, 
including the Rohingya, will one day be able to enjoy the fruits of an 
inclusive and pluralistic democratic nation.

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