Burma

Floor Speech

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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 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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