Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a member of both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee—today issued the following statement ahead of the seventh anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide:
“I’ll never forget hearing painful stories from members of the Rohingya community when I traveled to Burma and Bangladesh in 2017—stories of brutal crimes against humanity that are part of decades of violence, discrimination, and marginalization. Seven years after that trip, I remain steadfast in my belief that American action is needed to achieve lasting peace.
“In 2022, the State Department determined that the Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya. This was an important step forward, but our actions have yet to fully match the gravity of this determination, especially considering the intensifying violence in Burma.
“Amid escalating conflict between the junta and Arakan Army, atrocities by both sides targeting Rohingya have increased. Rohingya homes have been burned; thousands have been forced to flee, with men and boys subject to forced conscription in the war; and countless Rohingya have lost their lives seeking refuge. I am deeply concerned that the rising violence is reminiscent of the mass violence against Rohingya in 2017.
“The United States cannot remain idle in the face of the ongoing suffering of Rohingya in Burma and needs to do all it can to support the establishment of an inclusive, federal democracy, where all people in Burma can live safely and freely. The U.S. must make clear to all armed actors that civilian populations—including Rohingya—must be protected, access to humanitarian aid must be guaranteed, and that the U.S. will hold accountable those who commit abuses.
“I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress and across the U.S. government to protect and bring accountability for Rohingya because peace can only be achieved when the root causes of these crimes are acknowledged and addressed.”
In 2017, Merkley led the first congressional delegation to Burma and Bangladesh to investigate the Rohingya Genocide. Since then, Merkley has worked tirelessly to sound the alarm on the erosion of democracy and human rights for all communities in Burma.
He led a bipartisan resolution condemning the 2021 military coup and calling for an immediate return to democratic governance grounded in respect for civil liberties. Provisions similar to Merkley’s BURMA Act were included in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Merkley has called for the imposition of sanctions to cut off revenues from the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) since April 2021. He has also led letters calling for multiple U.S. administrations to recognize the genocide against Rohingya in Burma as well as for Burma’s neighbors, Thailand and Bangladesh, to build upon their existing efforts to help Rohingya refugees and to ease the humanitarian crisis in Burma.
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