III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 90 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 7, 2017 

Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Condemning ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and calling 

for an end to the violence in and an immediate restoration of humanitarian access to the state of Rakhine 

in Burma. 

Whereas on August 25, 2017, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation 

Army carried out attacks on Government positions in the 

state of Rakhine in Burma (‘‘Rakhine State’’); 

Whereas in recent decades the Rohingya people have lost, 

through systematic discrimination by Burmese national, 

state and local authorities, a range of civil 


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HCON 90 RFS 

and political rights, including citizenship, and face barriers today such that they are mostly stateless peoples; 

Whereas since the August 25 attacks, Burma’s military and 

security forces, as well as private mobs, have carried out 

attacks resulting in over 600,000 Rohingya fleeing to 

Bangladesh; 

Whereas Amnesty International described the attacks by stating that ‘‘Myanmar security forces are setting northern 

Rakhine State ablaze in a targeted campaign to push the 

Rohingya people out of Myanmar.’’; 

Whereas the United Nations Security Council has called for 

an end to the violence and attacks; 

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner on Human 

Rights has said that the response by the military is 

‘‘grossly disproportionate’’ and a ‘‘textbook example of 

ethnic cleansing’’; 

Whereas Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said, ‘‘This violence must stop, this persecution must stop’’; 

Whereas under Burma’s military-drafted constitution, the 

country’s military and security services are not subject to 

civilian rule and only Burma’s Commander-in-Chief, Min 

Aung Hlaing, can command troops to cease attacks impacting civilians in Rakhine State; 

Whereas Burma’s civilian Government, led by Aung San Suu 

Kyi, has not yet taken necessary steps to address the violence and should take further measures, including to address the pervasive problem of hate speech; 

Whereas the United States acknowledges the democratic 

transition underway in Burma, maintains hope for further genuine democratic reforms, and expects Burma’s 


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elected officials to take action to prevent violence and secure rights; 

Whereas the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State 

(‘‘Rakhine Commission’’) examined, beginning in 2016, 

the underlying tensions in Rakhine State and made a series of recommendations including a wide range of suggestions and policy changes dealing with humanitarian 

aid, citizenship, reconciliation, and peace; 

Whereas the Rakhine Commission stated, ‘‘While Myanmar 

has every right to defend its own territory, a highly militarized response is unlikely to bring peace to the area. 

What is needed is a calibrated approach—one that combines political, developmental, security and human rights 

responses to ensure that violence does not escalate and 

inter-communal tensions are kept under control.’’; 

Whereas the United Nations estimates that $434 million in 

humanitarian assistance will be needed to provide lifesustaining support to 1,200,000 people, both refugees 

and host communities, in the first few months of this crisis; and 

Whereas the United States is providing an initial $32 million 

in humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs 

of Rohingya fleeing violence from Rakhine State into 

Bangladesh, as well as the needs of internally displaced 

persons in Rakhine State and host communities in Bangladesh: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) condemns the attacks against civilians by 

4 Burma’s military and security forces and calls on 


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1 Burma’s Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing, to 

2 immediately end all attacks against civilians in the 

3 state of Rakhine in Burma; 

4 (2) expresses deepest appreciation to the Gov5 ernment of Bangladesh for providing refuge to those 

6 fleeing violence and attacks; 

7 (3) condemns the attacks by the Arakan 

8 Rohingya Salvation Army and the violence in 

9 Rakhine and Rohingya communities, but warns that 

10 these attacks do not justify the unrestrained re11 sponse by Burmese military and security forces that 

12 has resulted in severe human rights violations, mur13 derous ethnic cleansing, and atrocities against civil14 ians; 

15 (4) calls on Burma’s Government, led by Aung 

16 San Suu Kyi, and the Burmese military and security 

17 forces to work constructively to implement the rec18 ommendations of the Advisory Commission on 

19 Rakhine State, including those relating to justice, 

20 reconciliation, humanitarian aid, and citizenship; 

21 (5) calls on Burma’s Government and its mili22 tary and security services to allow unimpeded hu23 manitarian access to refugees and internally dis24 placed persons; 


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1 (6) urges support and access for the United 

2 Nations Fact Finding Mission to Burma; 

3 (7) calls on Burma’s military and Government 

4 to allow refugees to voluntarily return to Burma in 

5 a manner consistent with internationally recognized 

6 principles of human rights and refugee protection 

7 and to change laws and policies that have contrib8 uted to insecurity in the state of Rakhine; and 

9 (8) calls on the President of the United States 

10 to impose sanctions on members of the Burmese 

11 military and security forces who are responsible for 

12 human rights abuses. 

Passed the House of Representatives December 6, 

2017. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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