Political Quotes

“Let me say that, since August of 2017, the Burmese military has inflicted horrific violence against the Rohingya in Burma's Rakhine State and is, today, using the same tactics against the Kachin. The result: 700,000 refugees. I didn't get that wrong. It is 700,000 refugees pushed into Bangladesh. Eighty percent are women and children, many of whom are now victims of horrific gender-based violence. It is the sort of treatment ethnic minorities have endured there for decades. This a manmade crisis--ethnic cleansing, perhaps genocide--and to date there has been no accountability. This measure would change that. It would limit U.S. military-to-military assistance with the Burmese military until we see progress on human rights and accountability. It would authorize tough financial sanctions and visa bans against military and security forces involved in human rights abuses, promote transparency, and push reform in the Burmese gem sector, a target of corrupt military influence; and it requires the Secretary of State to determine what, in addition to ethnic cleansing, might have occurred. This body has long stood on the side of freedom, democracy, and human rights in Burma. I urge all Members to join me today in doing the same thing by supporting this measure. Mr. Chair, I urge all Members to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).…”