[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 10, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8618-S8619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

  Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, I rise to speak about the ongoing and often 
forgotten civil war and humanitarian crisis taking place in Burma, 
which impacts the broader Southeast Asia region. We should all be 
outraged by the horrific crimes against humanity perpetrated by the 
Burmese military

[[Page S8619]]

against the Rohingya and other Burmese minority groups.
  The fallout from the Burmese military's February 2021 coup and 
jailing of State Counsellor and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi 
continues to roil the country. Ethnic minority groups within Burma, 
which had long been at odds with the Burmese military junta, saw the 
ousting of Suu Kyi as a prelude to greater repression, and took up arms 
against the junta, in collaboration with the ``People's Defense 
Forces'' of the government in exile.
  The violent conflict between opposition groups and the Burmese junta 
has caused immense suffering of Burmese civilians, primarily due to 
displacement and military bombing campaigns, targeting civilians as 
retribution for rebel gains on the battlefield.
  The Burmese people are no stranger to displacement. A decade ago, 
Burma's military junta engaged in a violent persecution of the Rohingya 
minority, forcing 1.5 million people to flee to Bangladesh and 
Thailand. A recent investigation by the United Nations concluded the 
2017 attacks were a ``coordinated and organized operation'' to strip 
the Rohingya of their land rights within the country. In 2022, the 
State Department officially determined that these actions constituted a 
genocide.
  Today, refugees from the conflict in Burma, both Rohingya and members 
of other minority groups, face an even more dire situation. Amnesty 
International reports that the Arakan Army, one of the ethnic armed 
organizations controlling parts of Burma, is continuing to displace the 
Rohingya. Many other Burmese citizens are fleeing bombardment by junta 
artillery and warplanes. Despite these horrors, many countries are now 
refusing to accept any Burmese refugees--including, regrettably, the 
United States, which recently banned all travel to the U.S. by Burmese 
citizens following an executive order from President Trump.
  Rather than slamming the door, the Trump administration should 
reverse this misguided decision and allow Burmese refugees who have a 
credible fear of persecution to seek refuge in the United States. The 
United States should also increase aid to the Burmese people and 
support for democratic forces within the country, strengthening the 
opposition's position in potential negotiations with the junta for an 
end to the conflict. Trump administration aid cuts, including in the 
aftermath of a devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier this 
year, contravene the express purposes of the bipartisan BURMA Act. I 
recently cosigned signed a letter to Secretary Rubio with eight of my 
Senate colleagues calling for the Trump administration to make Burma a 
diplomatic priority in the coming months.

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