IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 90 

Condemning ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and calling for an end to 

the attacks in and an immediate restoration of humanitarian access 

to the state of Rakhine in Burma. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 7, 2017 

Mr. CROWLEY (for himself and Mr. CHABOT) submitted the following 

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Condemning ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and calling 

for an end to the attacks 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, 

with the support of the Burmese Government, a range of 

civil 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 


SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HCON 90 IH 

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 taken necessary steps to address the violence 

and should take further measures; 

Whereas the international community had high hopes for 

Burma’s elected Government and expected that elected 

officials 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; 


SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HCON 90 IH 

Whereas the Rakhine Commission stated, ‘‘While Myanmar 

has every right to defend its own territory, a highly 

militarised 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.’’; and 

Whereas the United States is providing an initial 

$32,000,000 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 security services and calls on Burma’s 

5 Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing, to imme6 diately end all attacks against civilians in the state 

7 of Rakhine in Burma; 

8 (2) expresses deepest appreciation to the Gov9 ernment of Bangladesh for providing refuge to those 

10 fleeing violence and attacks; 

11 (3) condemns the attacks by the Arakan 

12 Rohingya Salvation Army, but warns that these at13 tacks do not justify the unrestrained response that 

14 has resulted in severe human rights violations, murVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:08 Nov 08, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC90.IH HC90

SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HCON 90 IH 

1 derous ethnic cleansing, and atrocities against civil2 ians; 

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

4 San Suu Kyi, and the Burmese military and security 

5 forces to work constructively to implement the rec6 ommendations of the Advisory Commission on 

7 Rakhine State, including those relating to justice, 

8 reconciliation, humanitarian aid, and citizenship; 

9 (5) calls on Burma’s Government and its mili10 tary and security services to allow unimpeded hu11 manitarian access to refugees and internally dis12 placed persons; 

13 (6) urges support and access for the United 

14 Nations Fact Finding Mission to Burma; 

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

16 to allow refugees to voluntarily return to Burma 

17 without undue restriction and to change laws and 

18 policies that have contributed to insecurity in the 

19 state of Rakhine; and 

20 (8) calls on the President to impose sanctions 

21 on those responsible for human rights abuses, in22 cluding members of Burma’s military and security 

23 services. 

Æ 


SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS