Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1091. This resolution calls the atrocities committed against the Rohingya what they are-- genocide--and asks the government of Burma to release two innocent journalists who were framed for helping to bring these crimes to light. I want to thank my predecessor, as chair of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, Congressman Chabot, and Ranking Member Engel for introducing this resolution. Since August 2017, 700,000 Rohingya have fled their homes in Rakhine to neighboring Bangladesh to escape the horrible violence perpetrated by the Burmese military. In total, almost a million Rohingya refugees have been driven out of their homes in northern Rakhine and are sheltering in Bangladesh. They, the Rohingya, didn't just decide to pick up all their belongings one day and leave. They are fearing for their lives, and so they left. The United Nations released a report just months ago asserting that the Burmese military systematically targeted civilians in a manner consistent with genocidal intent. This fact-finding mission and other international NGOs have documented the violence, including torture; rape; killing unarmed civilians, including women and children; and burning down the Rohingya villages. Make no mistake; this is genocide. In a recent committee hearing on Burma, I spoke about the importance of journalists documenting these atrocities.…”