III 

Calendar No. 134 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 34 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Governments of Burma and 

Bangladesh ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return 

of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign 

of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military and to immediately release unjustly imprisoned journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe 

Oo. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 29, 2019 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. COLLINS, Mrs. 

FEINSTEIN, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. TILLIS, Ms. WARREN, Mr. 

KAINE, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. BROWN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. 

SANDERS, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. COONS, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. CORTEZ

MASTO, Mr. SCHATZ, Ms. HARRIS, Mr. PETERS, Mr. WARNER, Mr. 

KING, Mr. BRAUN, and Mr. CRUZ) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JULY 8, 2019 

Reported by Mr. RISCH, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble and an amendment to the title 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Governments 

of Burma and Bangladesh ensure the safe, dignified, 

voluntary, and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign of ethnic 


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cleansing conducted by the Burmese military and to immediately release unjustly imprisoned journalists, Wa 

Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. 

Whereas, on August 25, 2017, attacks on security posts in 

Burma by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant 

group resulted in a brutal, systematic, and disproportionate reprisal by the Burmese military and security 

forces on Rohingya villages in Rakhine State; 

Whereas approximately 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled 

to Bangladesh since the Burmese military commenced its 

scorched-earth campaign, with the burning of villages and 

local monuments, and reports of widespread gang rape, 

starvation, killing, and forcible deportation; 

Whereas the August 2018 United Nations report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar 

states in paragraph 87 that ‘‘the Mission concluded . . . 

that there is sufficient information to warrant the investigation and prosecution of senior officials in the Tatmadaw chain of command, so that a competent court can 

determine their liability for genocide in relation to the 

situation in Rakhine State’’; 

Whereas, on August 28, 2018, then-United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley reported to the 

United Nations Security Council that the Department of 

State had conducted interviews with 1,024 Rohingya refugees in camps throughout Cox’s Bazar and that the results of the interviews were consistent with the United 

Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission 

on Myanmar; 

Whereas, on September 24, 2018, the Department of State 

report titled, ‘‘Documentation of Atrocities in Northern 


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Rakhine State’’, concluded that the military’s attacks in 

Burma’s Northern Rakhine State were ‘‘large-scale, widespread and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the 

population and driving out the Rohingya residents’’ and 

that the ‘‘scope and scale of the military’s operations indicate that they were well-planned and coordinated’’; 

Whereas, on December 3, 2018, the United States Holocaust 

Memorial Museum concluded that ‘‘there is compelling 

evidence that the Burmese military committed ethnic 

cleansing, crimes against humanity, and genocide against 

the Rohingya’’; 

Whereas the Government of Burma has consistently denied 

access to the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on 

Myanmar established to investigate human rights violations around the country; 

Whereas the fundamental operational principles of voluntary 

repatriation are safety, to include legal and physical safety, and dignity, to include treatment with respect and full 

acceptance by their national authorities, including the full 

restoration of refugees’ rights; 

Whereas approximately 236,000 Rohingya refugees returned 

to Burma from Bangladesh under the terms of a 1992 

agreement after a previous bout of violence against the 

Rohingya forced them to flee, only to continue to be denied citizenship, face prejudice, violence, and persecution, 

and in many instances be forced to live in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps with their freedom of movement restricted; 

Whereas Burma’s 1982 citizenship law stripped Rohingya of 

their Burmese citizenship, rendering them stateless; 


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Whereas the Government of Burma continues to systematically discriminate against the Rohingya people, a longpersecuted Muslim minority within Burma, including by 

continuing to restrict registration of Rohingya births and 

to deny them freedom of movement, access to healthcare, 

land, education, marriage, voting rights, and political 

participation; 

Whereas the Government of Burma has repeatedly abused 

land use laws to unjustly seize land from Rohingya refugees; 

Whereas the United Nations High Commission on Refugees 

(UNHCR) is working closely with the Government of 

Bangladesh and partners to provide protection and assistance to the Rohingya refugees and to support the host 

populations affected by the influx; 

Whereas, on November 23, 2017, the Government of Burma 

and the Government of Bangladesh signed an agreement, 

known as the ‘‘Arrangement’’, on the return of displaced 

persons from Rakhine State, which is modeled after the 

1992 repatriation agreement between Burma and Bangladesh; 

Whereas the Arrangement includes references to restoring 

normalcy and human rights in Rakhine State, for refugee 

returns to comply with international standards of safety, 

dignity, and voluntariness, and to commencing a process 

to address root causes in line with the Rakhine Advisory 

Commission recommendations; 

Whereas the Department of State has assessed that Burma 

has not made progress on the ‘‘more crucial’’ of the 88 

recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission 

that are identified by Rohingya refugees as prerequisites 


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to repatriation including freedom of movement, civil documentation, and a transparent pathway to citizenship; 

Whereas, on June 6, 2018, the Government of Burma 

reached a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding 

(MOU) with the UNHCR and the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP) on its role in the safe, dignified, 

and voluntary return of Rakhine State refugees; 

Whereas Rohingya refugees currently hosted in Bangladesh 

demonstrated in protest against an initial November 

2018 repatriation plan between the Governments of Bangladesh and Burma, citing concerns for their security and 

the lack of meaningful political reforms in Burma to include full citizenship; 

Whereas UNHCR, on January 4, 2019, reported that conditions in Burma’s Rakhine State remain ‘‘not conducive to 

return’’ on the heels of the Government of India’s regrettable decision to repatriate 16,000 Rohingya to Burma 

without having first ascertained the ‘‘voluntariness of 

their decision to return’’; 

Whereas, throughout this process, the Government of Burma 

has restricted media freedom and jailed journalists; 

Whereas, on December 12, 2017, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe 

Oo, two journalists reporting and documenting atrocities 

against the Rohingya, were arrested and on January 10, 

2018, formally prosecuted with violating the ‘‘Official Secrets Act’’; 

Whereas Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Soo had uncovered a massacre of 10 Rohingya men perpetrated by Burma’s security forces and aided by local Buddhist villagers in the 

village of Inn Din in Rakhine State; 


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Whereas, on September 3, 2018, Yangon northern district 

judge Ye Lwin ruled that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo 

breached the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and sentenced them each to seven years in prison with hard 

labor; 

Whereas, on January 11, 2019, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’s 

appeal of their conviction before the Yangon Regional 

High Court was denied; 

Whereas Time Magazine named Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo 

as co-recipients of 2018 Time Magazine’s ‘‘Person of the 

Year’’ in recognition for their courageous reporting; 

Whereas Vice President Mike Pence tweeted his concern over 

the sentence against Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for 

‘‘doing their job reporting on the atrocities being committed on the Rohingya people’’; 

Whereas United States Ambassador to the United Nations 

Nikki Haley described the conviction as ‘‘another terrible 

stain on the Burmese government’’ and called for ‘‘their 

immediate and unconditional release’’; 

Whereas the Department of State’s annual Human Rights 

Report on Burma for the year 2017 states that— 

(1) ‘‘legal provisions that allow the government to 

manipulate the courts for political ends, and these provisions were sometimes used to deprive citizens of due 

process and the right to a fair trial, particularly with regards to the freedom of expression’’; 

(2) ‘‘The government continued to detain and arrest 

journalists, activists, and critics of the government and 

the military during the year.’’; and 

(3) ‘‘Threats against and arrests of journalists increased. . . . Freedom of expression was more restricted 


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during the year compared with 2016. This included a 

higher number of detentions of journalists using various 

laws, including laws carrying more severe punishments 

than those used previously.’’; 

Whereas, according to PEN America, the discontinuation of 

Radio Free Asia’s broadcasting in Myanmar on a domestic channel constitutes a further shrinking of the space 

for free expression in the country; and 

Whereas, additionally, PEN America reports that— 

(1) there continues to be increased legal threats, imprisonment, and physical harassment of journalists; 

(2) there continues to be restrictions on the ability 

to report from and receive information on conflict areas; 

and 

(3) the lack of reform of media laws and institutions 

is driving a decline in media freedom: Now, therefore, be 

it 

Whereas, on August 25, 2017, attacks on security posts in 

Burma by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant 

group resulted in a brutal, systematic, and disproportionate reprisal by the Burmese military and security 

forces on Rohingya villages in Rakhine State; 

Whereas over 740,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since the Burmese military commenced its 

scorched-earth campaign, with the burning of villages and 

local landmarks, and reports of widespread gang rape, 

starvation, killing, and forcible deportation; 

Whereas the August 2018 United Nations report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar 

states in paragraph 87 that ‘‘the Mission concluded . . . 

that there is sufficient information to warrant the invesVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:24 Jul 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR34.RS SR34

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tigation and prosecution of senior officials in the Tatmadaw chain of command, so that a competent court can determine their liability for genocide in relation to the situation in Rakhine State’’; 

Whereas, on August 28, 2018, then-United States Ambassador 

to the United Nations Nikki Haley reported to the United 

Nations Security Council that the Department of State 

had conducted interviews with 1,024 Rohingya refugees in 

camps throughout Cox’s Bazar and that the results of the 

interviews were consistent with the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar; 

Whereas, on September 24, 2018, the Department of State report titled, ‘‘Documentation of Atrocities in Northern 

Rakhine State’’, concluded that the military’s attacks in 

Burma’s Northern Rakhine State were ‘‘large-scale, widespread and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the 

population and driving out the Rohingya residents’’ and 

that the ‘‘scope and scale of the military’s operations indicate that they were well-planned and coordinated’’; 

Whereas, on December 3, 2018, the United States Holocaust 

Memorial Museum concluded that ‘‘there is compelling evidence that the Burmese military committed ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and genocide against the 

Rohingya’’; 

Whereas the May 2019 Amnesty International report on war 

crimes in Rakhine State, outlines continued human rights 

violations, including ‘‘indiscriminate attacks’’ on civilians, 

and expresses alarm about the impact of continued fighting on the food security of Rakhine State; 

Whereas, on May 14, 2019, the United Nations International 

Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar urged the interVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:24 Jul 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR34.RS SR34

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national community to cut off all financial aid and other 

support to the Burmese military; 

Whereas the Government of Burma has consistently denied access to the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on 

Myanmar established to investigate human rights violations around the country; 

Whereas the fundamental operational principles of voluntary 

repatriation are safety, to include legal and physical safety, and dignity, to include treatment with respect and full 

acceptance by their national authorities, including the full 

restoration of refugees’ rights; 

Whereas approximately 236,000 Rohingya refugees returned to 

Burma from Bangladesh under the terms of a 1992 agreement after a previous bout of violence against the 

Rohingya forced them to flee, only to face continued denial 

of citizenship, prejudice, violence, and persecution, and in 

many instances forced to live in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps with their freedom of movement restricted; 

Whereas Burma’s 1982 citizenship law stripped Rohingya of 

their Burmese citizenship, rendering them stateless; 

Whereas the Government of Burma continues to systematically 

discriminate against the Rohingya people, a long-persecuted Muslim minority within Burma, including by continuing to restrict registration of Rohingya births and to 

deny them freedom of movement as well as access to 

healthcare, land, education, marriage, voting rights, and 

political participation; 

Whereas the Government of Burma has repeatedly abused land 

use laws to unjustly seize land from Rohingya refugees; 


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Whereas the United Nations High Commission on Refugees 

(UNHCR) is working closely with the Government of Bangladesh and partners to provide protection and assistance 

to the Rohingya refugees and to support the host populations affected by the influx; 

Whereas, on November 23, 2017, the Government of Burma 

and the Government of Bangladesh signed an agreement, 

known as the ‘‘Arrangement’’, on the return of displaced 

persons from Rakhine State, which is modeled after the 

1992 repatriation agreement between Burma and Bangladesh; 

Whereas the Arrangement includes references to restoring normalcy and human rights in Rakhine State, ensuring refugee returns comply with international standards of safety, dignity, and voluntariness, and commencing a process 

to address root causes in line with the Rakhine Advisory 

Commission recommendations; 

Whereas the Department of State assesses that Burma has not 

made progress on the ‘‘more crucial’’ of the 88 recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission identified by Rohingya refugees as prerequisites to repatriation, including freedom of movement, provision of civil 

documentation, and a transparent pathway to citizenship; 

Whereas, on June 6, 2018, the Government of Burma reached 

a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with the 

UNHCR and the United Nations Development Agency to 

promote the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of 

Rakhine State refugees, which was extended one additional 

year to June 6, 2020; 

Whereas Rohingya refugees currently hosted in Bangladesh 

demonstrated in protest against an initial November 2018 


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repatriation plan between the Governments of Bangladesh 

and Burma, citing concerns for their security and the lack 

of meaningful political reforms in Burma to include extension of full citizenship; 

Whereas UNHCR, on January 4, 2019, reported that conditions in Burma’s Rakhine State remain ‘‘not conducive to 

return’’ on the heels of the Government of India’s regrettable decision to repatriate Rohingya to Burma without 

having first ascertained the ‘‘voluntariness of their decision to return’’; 

Whereas, throughout this process, the Government of Burma 

has restricted media freedom and jailed journalists; 

Whereas, on December 12, 2017, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, 

two journalists reporting and documenting atrocities 

against the Rohingya, were arrested and on January 10, 

2018, formally charged with violating the ‘‘Official Secrets 

Act’’; 

Whereas Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Soo had uncovered a massacre of 10 Rohingya men perpetrated by Burma’s security 

forces and aided by local Buddhist villagers in the village 

of Inn Din in Rakhine State; 

Whereas, on September 3, 2018, Yangon northern district judge 

Ye Lwin ruled that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo breached 

the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and sentenced them 

each to seven years in prison with hard labor; 

Whereas Time Magazine named Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo 

as co-recipients of 2018 Time Magazine’s ‘‘Person of the 

Year’’ in recognition for their courageous reporting; 

Whereas the release of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo on May 7, 

2019, concluded over 500 days of imprisonment, more than 


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twice the amount of time served by the soldiers deemed responsible for the massacre uncovered by their reporting; 

Whereas, despite the pardon of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, 

the Department of State’s 2018 annual human rights report on Burma found continued and widespread restrictions on journalistic activity and other forms of freedom 

of expression, stating that— 

(1) ‘‘[T]he government appeared to manipulate the 

courts for political ends and sometimes deprived citizens of 

due process and the right to a fair trial, particularly regarding the freedom of expression.’’; 

(2) ‘‘The government continued to detain and arrest 

journalists, activists, and critics of the government and the 

military.’’; and 

(3) ‘‘Threats against and arrests of journalists continued during the year . . . Authorities arrested, detained, 

convicted, intimidated, and imprisoned citizens for expressing political opinions critical of the government and 

the military, generally under the charges of defamation, 

protesting without a permit, or violating national security 

laws. This included the detentions and trials of journalists 

and other figures, applying laws carrying more severe 

punishments than those used previously.’’; 

Whereas, according to PEN America press release dated June 

13, 2018, ‘‘The discontinuation of Radio Free Asia’s 

broadcasting in Burma on a domestic channel constitutes 

a further shrinking of the space for free expression in the 

country’’; and 

Whereas, additionally, PEN America reports— 

(1) increased legal threats, imprisonment, and physical harassment of journalists; 


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(2) restrictions on the ability to report from and receive information on conflict areas; and 

(3) lack of reform of media laws and institutions that 

is driving a decline in media freedom: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns the violence and displacement in3 flicted on Burma’s Rohingya and other ethnic mi4 norities; 

5 (2) urges the Secretary of State to make a de6 termination whether the actions by the Myanmar 

7 military constitute crimes against humanity or geno8 cide and to work with interagency partners to im9 pose targeted sanctions on Myanmar military offi10 cials, to include Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, 

11 responsible for these heinous acts through existing 

12 authorities; 

13 (3) condemns the attacks by the Arakan 

14 Rohingya Salvation Army militant group; 

15 (4) calls on the Government of Burma to allow 

16 full access to Rakhine State and ensure the full par17 ticipation of UNHCR, the internationally endorsed 

18 organization tasked with ensuring that refugee re19 turns are voluntary, safe, dignified, and meet inter20 national refugee and human rights standards, and 

21 that the voices of refugees are represented in order 


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1 to ensure the sustainability of such returns and to 

2 prevent further waves of displacement; 

3 (5) commends the positive role of the Govern4 ment of Bangladesh in receiving Rohingya refugees 

5 to date and urges the Government of Bangladesh to 

6 continue allowing the full participation of UNHCR 

7 and human rights organization in accessing refugee 

8 camps; 

9 (6) calls on UNHCR and international non10 governmental organizations to continue to play a 

11 role in monitoring repatriation efforts by the Gov12 ernments of Bangladesh and Burma to ensure a 

13 process that meets international norms for vol14 untary, safe, and dignified repatriation; 

15 (7) agrees that any return of Rohingya should 

16 include guarantees that any returns of refugees will 

17 be voluntary and dignified, that there will be no 

18 threats to protection or security upon return, that 

19 refugees will be able to return to their places of ori20 gin or other locations as desired, and be able to 

21 enjoy equal rights with others in Burma, including 

22 the restoration or granting of full citizenship, free23 dom of movement, and access to basic services; 

24 (8) recognizes that any forced relocation of 

25 Rohingya refugees into temporary settlements, IDP 


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1 camps, ‘‘model villages’’, or other areas not of refu2 gees’ choosing is unacceptable; 

3 (9) calls on the Government of Burma to allow 

4 for a flexible and practical approach to dealing with 

5 evidence of Rohingya residence in Burma, recog6 nizing that the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh 

7 possess a wide range of documents and that some 

8 refugees have no documents and will need to estab9 lish their residence by other means; 

10 (10) calls on the Government of Burma to ad11 dress root causes consistent with the Rakhine Advi12 sory Commission recommendations and fully imple13 ment all of the recommendations of the Commission, 

14 including providing equal access to full restoration 

15 or granting of full citizenship for the Rohingya pop16 ulation; 

17 (11) calls on the Government of Burma to ac18 knowledge and address the issue of statelessness for 

19 the Rohingya, the deprivation of rights, and institu20 tionalized and pervasive discrimination of the 

21 Rohingya population in order to bring about any 

22 sustainable solutions; 

23 (12) commends the Government and the people 

24 of Bangladesh for their extraordinary generosity and 

25 efforts to provide shelter and relief for nearly 


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1 1,000,000 Rohingya refugees forced to flee their 

2 homes in Burma; 

3 (13) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to 

4 ensure all refugees have freedom of movement and 

5 under no circumstances are subject to unsafe, invol6 untary, precipitous, or uninformed returns to 

7 Burma; 

8 (14) calls for all the convictions against Wa 

9 Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo to be nullified, for the simi10 lar charges against many other journalists currently 

11 awaiting trial to be dropped, and for the immediate 

12 and unconditional release of these journalists; 

13 (15) expresses concern about the Government 

14 of Myanmar’s crackdown on journalists and press 

15 freedom throughout the country; 

16 (16) reaffirms the central role that independent 

17 and professional journalism plays in strengthening 

18 democratic governance, upholding the rule of law, 

19 mitigating conflict, and informing public opinion 

20 around the world; and 

21 (17) calls upon the United States Government 

22 to continue the United States status as a top global 

23 donor nation to the humanitarian response in 

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1 cal year 2020 budget request to reflect that long2 standing United States commitment. 

3 That the Senate— 

4 (1) condemns the violence and displacement in5 flicted on Burma’s Rohingya and other ethnic mi6 norities; 

7 (2) urges the Secretary of State— 

8 (A) to make a determination of whether the 

9 actions by the Burmese military, including Sen10 ior General Min Aung Hlaing, Vice-Senior Gen11 eral Soe Win, Brigadier-General Aung Aung, 

12 and Brigadier-General Than Oo, constitute gross 

13 violations of human rights, war crimes, crimes 

14 against humanity (including sexual or gender15 based violence), or genocide; and 

16 (B) to work with interagency partners to 

17 impose targeted sanctions through existing au18 thorities, including under the Global Magnitsky 

19 Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of 

20 title XII of Public Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 

21 note) and Executive Order 13818 (50 U.S.C. 

22 1701 note; relating to blocking the property of 

23 persons involved in serious human rights abuse 

24 or corruption), on Burmese military officials 

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1 cant role in the commission of acts that con2 stitute gross violations of human rights, war 

3 crimes, crimes against humanity (including sex4 ual or gender-based violence), or genocide; 

5 (3) condemns the attacks by the Arakan 

6 Rohingya Salvation Army militant group; 

7 (4) expresses support for potential accountability 

8 mechanisms for Burma, including an ad hoc tri9 bunal, in consultation with the Rohingya community; 

10 (5) calls on the Government of Burma to allow 

11 full access to Rakhine State and ensure the full par12 ticipation of UNHCR, the internationally-endorsed 

13 organization tasked with ensuring that refugee re14 turns are voluntary, safe, dignified, and meet inter15 national refugee and human rights standards, and 

16 that the voices of refugees are represented to ensure 

17 the sustainability of such returns and prevent further 

18 waves of displacement; 

19 (6) commends the positive role to date of the 

20 Government of Bangladesh in receiving nearly 

21 1,000,000 Rohingya refugees and urges the Govern22 ment of Bangladesh to continue allowing the full par23 ticipation of UNHCR and human rights organization 

24 in accessing refugee camps; 


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1 (7) calls on UNHCR and international non2 governmental organizations to continue their impor3 tant roles in monitoring repatriation efforts by the 

4 Governments of Bangladesh and Burma to ensure a 

5 process that meets international norms for voluntary, 

6 safe, and dignified repatriation; 

7 (8) agrees that any agreement on repatriation of 

8 Rohingya should include guarantees that any returns 

9 will be voluntary and dignified, that there will be no 

10 threats to protection or security upon return, that ref11 ugees will be able to return to their places of origin 

12 or other locations as desired, and be able to enjoy 

13 equal rights with others in Burma, including the res14 toration or granting of full citizenship, freedom of 

15 movement, and access to basic services; 

16 (9) recognizes that any forced relocation of 

17 Rohingya refugees into temporary settlements, IDP 

18 camps, or ‘‘model villages’’ is unacceptable; 

19 (10) calls on the Government of Burma to allow 

20 for a flexible and practical approach to dealing with 

21 evidence of Rohingya residence in Burma, recognizing 

22 both that Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh possess a 

23 wide range of documents and that some refugees have 

24 no documents and will need to establish their resi25 dence by other means; 


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1 (11) calls on the Government of Burma to ad2 dress root causes consistent with the Rakhine Advi3 sory Commission recommendations and fully imple4 ment all of the recommendations of the Commission, 

5 including providing for the restoration or granting of 

6 full citizenship to the Rohingya population; 

7 (12) calls on the Government of Burma to ac8 knowledge, address, and implement sustainable solu9 tions regarding statelessness for Rohingya, the depri10 vation of rights, and institutionalized and pervasive 

11 discrimination against the Rohingya population; 

12 (13) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to 

13 ensure all refugees have freedom of movement and 

14 under no circumstances be subjected to unsafe, invol15 untary, precipitous, or uninformed returns to Burma; 

16 (14) calls on international organizations and the 

17 Government of Bangladesh to ensure access for 

18 Rohingya to basic services, education, and livelihood 

19 opportunities; 

20 (15) welcomes the release of Wa Lone and Kyaw 

21 Soe Oo; 

22 (16) calls for similar charges against other jour23 nalists currently awaiting trial to be dropped, and 

24 for the immediate and unconditional release of these 

25 journalists; 


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1 (17) expresses concern about the Government of 

2 Burma’s crackdown on journalists and press freedom 

3 throughout the country; 

4 (18) reaffirms the central role that independent 

5 and professional journalism plays in strengthening 

6 democratic governance, upholding the rule of law, 

7 mitigating conflict, and informing public opinion 

8 around the world; 

9 (19) calls upon the United States Government to 

10 ensure the United States continues to be a top global 

11 donor nation to the humanitarian response in Burma 

12 and Bangladesh, and for the fiscal year 2020 appro13 priation for State, Foreign Operations, and Related 

14 Programs to reflect that longstanding United States 

15 commitment; 

16 (20) calls on the United States Government to 

17 develop a more robust diplomatic strategy to engage 

18 regional partners, including the Association for 

19 Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to press the Gov20 ernment of Burma to— 

21 (A) improve humanitarian access in 

22 Rakhine state; 

23 (B) discourage involuntary returns of 

24 Rohingya refugees back to Burma; and 


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1 (C) ensure perpetrators of attacks against 

2 the Rohingya population in 2016 and 2017 are 

3 held accountable; 

4 (21) calls on the United States to regularly sup5 port the funding and resourcing of the United Na6 tions Independent Investigative Mechanism for 

7 Myanmar; and 

8 (22) calls on social media companies, including 

9 Facebook, to take greater steps to mitigate the risks of 

10 their platforms being used for the promotion of vio11 lence and discrimination against Rohingya and other 

12 ethnic minorities in Burma. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Governments of 

Burma and Bangladesh ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees 

who have been displaced by the campaign of ethnic 

cleansing conducted by the Burmese military.’’. 


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kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
Calendar No. 134 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 34 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the GovWa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. diately release unjustly imprisoned journalists, ducted by the Burmese military and to imme- placed by the campaign of ethnic cleansing con- of the Rohingya refugees who have been dis- safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return ernments of Burma and Bangladesh ensure the 

JULY 8, 2019 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble and an amendment to the title 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS