[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 122 (Monday, July 17, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E681-E682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      DEFENDING ROHINGYA REFUGEES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 17, 2023

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, June 20th every year marks 
World Refugee Day, an international day organized by the United Nations 
to raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world. The UN 
defines refugees as ``people who have fled war, violence, conflict or 
persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in 
another country.''
  The Rohingya are an ethnic Muslim minority who practice a Sufi-
inflected variation of Sunni Islam throughout Southern Asia. The 
Rohingyas trace their roots back for many centuries predominantly to 
the Rakhine State in Burma.
  The United Nations has described the Rohingya as ``the most 
persecuted minority in the world'' due to the actions taken against 
them by the Tatmadaw. Discriminatory policies of the Burmese government 
since the late 1970s have compelled hundreds of thousands of Muslim 
Rohingya to flee their homes. In 2017, the Tatmadaw renewed and 
increased violence, including reported rape, murder, and arson, 
triggered an exodus of Rohingya from Burma.
  The majority of those Rohingya who have been able to flee have found 
refuge in Bangladesh. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates 
the population of Rohingya in Bangladesh at close to one million.
  The largest exodus of Rohingya began in August 2017 after a massive 
wave of violence broke out in the Burmese Rakhine State. It is 
estimated that 730,000 Rohingya fled from the 2017 genocide seeking 
refuge in Bangladesh. With half of those able to flee to safety in 
Bangladesh being women and children.
  In honor of the annual World Refugee Day, the American people commend 
Bangladesh for providing safety for the Rohingya refugees from the 
Tatmadaw. Today 17 countries are

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home to significant populations of Rohingya refugees, including the 
United States. The Rohingya deserve to live safely anywhere in the 
world without fear of persecution.
  We are grateful for the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 
Wazed. The people of Bangladesh are well represented in Washington, 
D.C., by Ambassador Muhammad Imran.

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