<!--

                            _                       _     _
                           | |                     | |   (_)
      _ __   _____      __ | |_ __ _ _ __ __ _  ___| |_   _ _ __   ___
     | '_ \ / _ \ \ /\ / / | __/ _` | '__/ _` |/ _ \ __| | | '_ \ / __|
     | | | |  __/\ V  V /  | || (_| | | | (_| |  __/ |_  | | | | | (__ _
     |_| |_|\___| \_/\_/    \__\__,_|_|  \__, |\___|\__| |_|_| |_|\___(_)
                                          __/ |
                                         |___/

     We create digital marketing strategies and design compelling websites.
                            www.newtarget.com

-->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html  lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#">
  <head>
    <title>Inter Press Service: After Two Years of Horrors in Burma, the U.S. Is Still Doing Too Little, Too Late | USCIRF</title>

    <meta name="generator" content="new target, inc. (www.newtarget.com)" />
    <meta name="generator" content="web design & development by new target, inc." />

    <link rel="manifest" href="manifest.webmanifest" crossorigin="use-credentials">
    <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/favicon.ico">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" sizes="57x57" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-57x57.png">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" sizes="60x60" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-60x60.png">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" sizes="72x72" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-72x72.png">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" sizes="76x76" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-76x76.png">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" sizes="114x114" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-114x114.png">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" type="image/png" sizes="120x120" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-120x120.png">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" sizes="144x144" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-144x144.png">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" sizes="152x152" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-152x152.png">
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" type="image/png" sizes="180x180" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/apple-icon-180x180.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="36x36" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/android-icon-36x36.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="48x48" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/android-icon-48x48.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="72x72" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/android-icon-72x72.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="96x96" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/android-icon-96x96.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="144x144" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/android-icon-144x144.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="192x192" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/android-icon-192x192.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/favicon-16x16.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/favicon-32x32.png">
    <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="96x96" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/favicon-96x96.png">
    <link rel="manifest" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/manifest.json">
    <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#ffffff">
    <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/icons/ms-icon-144x144.png">
    <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff">

    <meta charset="utf-8" />
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-7936802-1"></script>
<script>window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments)};gtag("js", new Date());gtag("config", "UA-7936802-1", {"groups":"default","anonymize_ip":true});</script>
<meta name="geo.placename" content="Washington, D.C." />
<meta name="geo.position" content="38.8951100; -77.0363700;" />
<meta name="geo.region" content="US-DC" />
<meta name="icbm" content="38.8951100; -77.0363700;" />
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/op-eds/inter-press-service-after-two-years-horrors-burma-us-still-doing-too-little-too" />
<meta http-equiv="content-language" content="en" />
<link rel="image_src" href="/sites/default/files/2021-01/rohingya_flood_1__.jpg" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="USCIRF" />
<meta property="og:type" content="News" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/op-eds/inter-press-service-after-two-years-horrors-burma-us-still-doing-too-little-too" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Inter Press Service: After Two Years of Horrors in Burma, the U.S. Is Still Doing Too Little, Too Late" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/rohingya_flood_1__.jpg" />
<meta property="og:image:url" content="https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/rohingya_flood_1__.jpg" />
<meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" />
<meta property="place:location:latitude" content="38.8951100" />
<meta property="place:location:longitude" content="-77.0363700" />
<meta property="og:street_address" content="732 North Capitol St NW A714" />
<meta property="og:locality" content="Washington D.C." />
<meta property="og:region" content="Washington D.C." />
<meta property="og:postal_code" content="20401" />
<meta property="og:country_name" content="Washington D.C." />
<meta property="og:email" content="media@uscirf.gov" />
<meta property="og:phone_number" content="(202) 523-3240" />
<meta property="og:fax_number" content="(202) 523-5020" />
<meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" />
<meta property="article:author" content="https://www.uscirf.gov/user/41" />
<meta property="article:section" content="News" />
<meta property="article:published_time" content="2024-04-1115:22:40" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Inter Press Service: After Two Years of Horrors in Burma, the U.S. Is Still Doing Too Little, Too Late" />
<meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/op-eds/inter-press-service-after-two-years-horrors-burma-us-still-doing-too-little-too" />
<meta name="twitter:image:height" content="354" />
<meta name="twitter:image:width" content="630" />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/rohingya_flood_1__.jpg" />
<meta name="Generator" content="Drupal 9 (https://www.drupal.org)" />
<meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" />
<meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no" />
<meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge" />
<link rel="icon" href="/sites/default/files/USCIRF_0.png" type="image/png" />
<script src="/sites/default/files/google_tag/google_tag_4/google_tag.data_layer.js?sbs957" defer></script>
<script src="/sites/default/files/google_tag/google_tag_4/google_tag.script.js?sbs957" defer></script>


      <link rel="stylesheet" as="style" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Fjalla+One&family=Noto+Sans:ital,wght@0,400;0,700;1,400;1,700&display=swap" />
      <link rel="stylesheet" as="style" href="https://p.typekit.net/p.css?s=1&k=arw1cqj&ht=tk&f=6768.6769.6770.6771&a=13072354&app=typekit&e=css" />
      <link rel="stylesheet" as="style" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Fjalla+One&display=swap" />
      <link rel="preload" as="image" href="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/images/defaultHero.png" />

      <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/default/files/css/css_6e6_b4-roceQ_gBPDF4tPrZEaqIHqSyJjqHO2soN1Xs.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/default/files/css/css_RfGEiTVTG3T12VjwX99Xyal2UB2yOZNQbs_QrfOhis4.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="//stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.1.1/css/bootstrap.min.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/default/files/css/css_qkJ7A_BAv_RjiD5cFHxOKIeK2dtRZDQFdnR1arUPieE.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="print" href="/sites/default/files/css/css_Y4H_4BqmgyCtG7E7YdseTs2qvy9C34c51kBamDdgark.css" />




  </head>
  <body class="layout-no-sidebars page-node-5132 path-node page-node-type-news">

    <script>0</script>

    <a href="#main-content" class="visually-hidden focusable skip-link">
      Skip to main content
    </a>
    <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-TQJ96S2" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>
      <div class="dialog-off-canvas-main-canvas" data-off-canvas-main-canvas>
          <div class="main-search-wrapper">
      <a href="#" class="close-search"><i class="fa fa-times"></i></a>
        <div class="block-layout-region">
    <div class="views-exposed-form block block-views block-views-exposed-filter-blocksearch-results-page-1" data-drupal-selector="views-exposed-form-search-results-page-1" id="block-exposedformsearch-resultspage-1">
  
    
      <div class="content">
      
<form action="/search-results" method="get" id="views-exposed-form-search-results-page-1" accept-charset="UTF-8">
  <div class="form-row">
  



  <fieldset class="js-form-item js-form-type-textfield form-type-textfield js-form-item-search form-item-search form-group">
          <label for="edit-search">Search</label>
                    <input data-drupal-selector="edit-search" type="text" id="edit-search" name="search" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" class="form-text form-control" />

                      </fieldset>




  <fieldset class="js-form-item js-form-type-select form-type-select js-form-item-sort-by form-item-sort-by form-group">
          <label for="edit-sort-by">Sort by</label>
                    
<select data-drupal-selector="edit-sort-by" id="edit-sort-by" name="sort_by" class="form-select custom-select"><option value="search_api_relevance" selected="selected">Relevance</option></select>
                      </fieldset>




  <fieldset class="js-form-item js-form-type-select form-type-select js-form-item-sort-order form-item-sort-order form-group">
          <label for="edit-sort-order">Order</label>
                    
<select data-drupal-selector="edit-sort-order" id="edit-sort-order" name="sort_order" class="form-select custom-select"><option value="ASC" selected="selected">Asc</option><option value="DESC">Desc</option></select>
                      </fieldset>
<div data-drupal-selector="edit-actions" class="form-actions js-form-wrapper form-group" id="edit-actions"><button data-drupal-selector="edit-submit-search-results" type="submit" id="edit-submit-search-results" value="Search" class="button js-form-submit form-submit btn btn-primary">Search</button>
</div>

</div>

</form>

    </div>
  </div>

  </div>

    </div>
  
<header
	id="header" class="header" role="banner" aria-label="Site header">

							<div class="pre-header">
				<div class="container">
					  <div class="block-layout-region">
    <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="block-useraccountmenu-menu" id="block-useraccountmenu" class="col-md-12 block block-menu navigation menu--account">
            
  <h2 class="sr-only" id="block-useraccountmenu-menu">User account menu</h2>
  

        
              <div block="block-useraccountmenu" class="clearfix nav">
                      <a href="/annual-reports" class="annual-reports nav-link annual-reports annual-reports nav-link--annual-reports" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/5580">Annual Reports</a>
                      <a href="/user/login" class="policy-recommendations pre-login-btn policy-recommendations pre-login-btn nav-link  policy-recommendations pre-login-btn policy-recommendations pre-login-btn nav-link--user-login" data-drupal-link-system-path="user/login">Login</a>
                      <a href="/about-uscirf/contact-us" class="contact-us nav-link contact-us contact-us nav-link--about-uscirf-contact-us" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/739">Contact Us</a>
                      <a href="" class="search nav-link search search search search search nav-link-" target="_self">Search</a>
                      <a href="https://www.facebook.com/USCIRF/" target="_blank" class="facebook nav-link facebook facebook facebook nav-link-https--wwwfacebookcom-uscirf-">Facebook</a>
                      <a href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF" target="_blank" class="twitter nav-link twitter twitter twitter nav-link-https--twittercom-uscirf">Twitter</a>
                      <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/USCIRF09" target="_blank" class="youtube nav-link youtube youtube youtube nav-link-https--wwwyoutubecom-user-uscirf09">YouTube</a>
                      <a href="https://www.instagram.com/uscirf/" target="_blank" class="instagram nav-link nav-link-https--wwwinstagramcom-uscirf-">Instagram</a>
            </div>
      


  </nav>

  </div>

				</div>
			</div>
			
							<div class="main-header">
				<div class="container">
					<div class="menu">
						  	<a href="/" title="Home" rel="home" class="navbar-brand">
					<img src="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/images/logo.png" alt="Home" class="img-fluid d-inline-block align-top"/>
				
	</a>
<div id="block-mainnavigation" class="block block-we-megamenu block-we-megamenu-blockmain">
  
    
      <div class="content">
      <div class="region-we-mega-menu">
	<a class="navbar-toggle collapsed">
		<span class="icon-bar"></span>
		<span class="icon-bar"></span>
		<span class="icon-bar"></span>
	</a>
	<nav  class="main navbar navbar-default navbar-we-mega-menu mobile-collapse hover-action" data-menu-name="main" data-block-theme="uscirf2020" data-style="Default" data-animation="None" data-delay="" data-duration="" data-autoarrow="" data-alwayshowsubmenu="" data-action="hover" data-mobile-collapse="0">
		<div class="container-fluid">
			<ul  class="we-mega-menu-ul nav nav-tabs">
  <li  class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu left" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="0f2a05e3-990a-4bb5-9982-3762a14ad643" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="left" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/about-uscirf/about-us" target="">
      About Uscirf    </a>
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-submenu about-uscirf-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-submenu-width="" data-class="about-uscirf-submenu" style="width: px">
  <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner">
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0">
  <div  class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-block="" data-blocktitle="0" data-hidewhencollapse="" data-class="">
  <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul">
  <li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="d5e82cdf-2116-4eb3-a62c-1695f5b57aa2" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/about-uscirf/frequently-asked-questions" target="">
      Frequently Asked Questions    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="c5c1f4b3-15ab-492a-bab5-32b600852340" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/commissioners" target="">
      Commissioners    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="8f22af24-0b6e-4749-b76f-3a4bb2c2a881" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="_self">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="https://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/former-commissioners" target="_self">
      Former Commissioners    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="d539be25-b8bb-414d-8642-b224f324f064" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/about-uscirf/staff" target="">
      Staff    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="aced1b8b-9dde-4154-bbef-890605118ab7" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/about-uscirf/authorizing-legislation-amendments" target="">
      Authorizing Legislation    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="4f752644-1936-4092-a62e-02d4c6f4b084" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/about-uscirf/employment-opportunities" target="">
      Employment Opportunities    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="e9e29f38-9bbb-48b5-8062-e0941c5871f8" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/about-uscirf/contract-opportunities" target="">
      Contract Opportunities    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="681b7cc3-3814-44d5-bcc4-b20b0227a94e" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/resources/other-resources" target="">
      Other Resources    </a>
    
</li>
</ul>
</div>

</div>

  </div>
</div>
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="b5a747ba-a10f-499d-a8f7-3f07cf4b9fb7" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries" target="">
      Countries    </a>
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-submenu countries-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-submenu-width="" data-class="countries-submenu" style="width: px">
  <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner">
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0">
  <div  class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-block="" data-blocktitle="0" data-hidewhencollapse="" data-class="">
  <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul">
  <li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="a17cc02b-38db-4d77-a9bb-c70d9a762efa" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/2023-recommendations" target="">
      2023 Recommendations    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="79380619-0c6e-4884-aa9a-7d3636dc6270" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/afghanistan" target="">
      Afghanistan    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="92e9dc0d-63f7-4242-9153-e4fcb088283f" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/algeria" target="">
      Algeria    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="2bcde6ab-c5b0-4674-8fde-0c65c3669ffc" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/azerbaijan" target="">
      Azerbaijan    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="28d6a1f2-65a9-4d02-8c44-c2cb4e17f264" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/burma" target="">
      Burma    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="0f3f0139-1767-4dc6-80bf-b96a42b78150" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/central-african-republic" target="">
      Central African Republic    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="39faa6f5-02e6-4b56-b91a-52d252d73fa7" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/china" target="">
      China    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="a591e552-18f4-41b8-bbba-c3c597c2b82a" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/cuba" target="">
      Cuba    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="20582cde-7f41-41c9-9338-5acbefeb2b71" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/egypt" target="">
      Egypt    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="e50130a8-1992-472c-8c7e-74e0234eccc5" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/eritrea" target="">
      Eritrea    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="52737394-a6cd-4cb8-8b9c-1a5b510e6440" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/india" target="">
      India    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="e6cbf8f7-6c55-4dec-8731-71e1c40d423d" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/indonesia" target="">
      Indonesia    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="c59d236f-7fec-4ed6-bcca-832ea3cb2405" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/iran" target="">
      Iran    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="766dca74-5894-4416-b87c-89adf6d6eddb" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/iraq" target="">
      Iraq    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="24071e9c-ec0b-41aa-8105-0727233450f0" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/kazakhstan" target="">
      Kazakhstan    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="12e7b03b-256a-4b7e-b801-f4b1598f6888" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/malaysia" target="">
      Malaysia    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="d8a67868-9231-47ad-b42d-d976ec8083ad" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/nicaragua" target="">
      Nicaragua    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="d218909d-0971-4745-8c76-175dea18f344" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/nigeria" target="">
      Nigeria    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="c5dc8fd1-b50f-4e31-9331-56295ae2c8c4" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/north-korea" target="">
      North Korea    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="5f401b99-a440-4018-84be-338dce3897d3" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/pakistan" target="">
      Pakistan    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="0c966aac-0d6f-45cc-9138-33d3c447ee1b" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/russia" target="">
      Russia    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="f1787024-52cd-4304-876f-a3f3a3c4b756" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/saudi-arabia" target="">
      Saudi Arabia    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="fb9ab8b1-67b0-44d3-bc99-aff05287c488" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="https://www.uscirf.gov/node/8718" target="">
      Sri Lanka    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="18bb5d4f-8aba-4d46-9ff9-0ffdba1fc008" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/syria" target="">
      Syria    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="6da8f2ef-8a25-4f9c-8965-ea98ed974864" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/tajikistan" target="">
      Tajikistan    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="2651f84a-48bd-439f-bc67-056eefb6ced6" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/turkey" target="">
      Turkey    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="f9837493-22d6-40ca-ba0f-e176023ee254" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/turkmenistan" target="">
      Turkmenistan    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="5f0bb1a3-cec9-4726-b064-fa9712bbe2a4" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/uzbekistan" target="">
      Uzbekistan    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="105050e2-6c05-4aea-bf19-bcc460c700f5" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/vietnam" target="">
      Vietnam    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="a8895a9a-0e84-4ed6-b6bc-5fb7bf9ed16a" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/others" target="">
      Others    </a>
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-submenu-width="" data-class="" style="width: px">
  <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner">
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0">
  <div  class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-block="" data-blocktitle="0" data-hidewhencollapse="" data-class="">
  <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul">
  <li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="7bd57fc8-ea27-4e89-9425-d5ed5eb2745a" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/bahrain" target="">
      Bahrain    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="8573b460-195b-4c08-bbfb-3efc2badd819" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/laos" target="">
      Laos    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="1f203aaf-21b2-46de-814f-9a7ecb708380" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/countries/sudan" target="">
      Sudan    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="2" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="3e838d5f-e296-45f9-a980-c8717ca02973" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/others" target="">
      Others    </a>
    
</li>
</ul>
</div>

</div>

  </div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div>

</div>

  </div>
</div>
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="c2addf6d-b455-4133-a3ba-f565e2002933" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/news-room" target="">
      News Room    </a>
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-submenu newsroom-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-submenu-width="" data-class="newsroom-submenu" style="width: px">
  <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner">
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0">
  <div  class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-block="" data-blocktitle="0" data-hidewhencollapse="" data-class="">
  <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul">
  <li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="be019fa1-b2f4-4534-b20e-6ff7fc9a14b1" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/news-room/press-releases-statements" target="">
      Press Releases & Statements    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="c571d558-6e93-4e90-837b-e5e92489441e" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/news-room/op-eds" target="">
      Op-Eds    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="9d5285bc-f7e9-4b86-8fef-6fc87a7ffb5e" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/news-room/uscirf-spotlight" target="">
      USCIRF Spotlight Podcast    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="1eefad2c-c2a7-4e56-825d-8c41122a3eed" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/news-room/media-inquiries/media-inquiries" target="">
      Media Inquiries    </a>
    
</li>
</ul>
</div>

</div>

  </div>
</div>
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="c7f750bc-430d-40d8-8c45-7e155a21c42c" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/events" target="">
      Events    </a>
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-submenu events-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-submenu-width="" data-class="events-submenu" style="width: px">
  <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner">
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0">
  <div  class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-block="" data-blocktitle="0" data-hidewhencollapse="" data-class="">
  <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul">
  <li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="0d6ad4aa-4590-43a4-98a3-5add35094223" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/event-type/hearings-and-briefings" target="">
      USCIRF Hearings    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="7ee423c8-9f5d-4cf8-af92-0e4105a1438a" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/event-type/webinars" target="">
      Other USCIRF Events    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="4dab3703-a8f6-48ce-b0d4-52096f9f387e" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="_self">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/event-type/congressional-hearings" target="_self">
      Congressional Hearings    </a>
    
</li>
</ul>
</div>

</div>

  </div>
</div>
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li dropdown-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="3b825d51-3deb-497d-90ab-9026a8d66440" data-submenu="1" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/victims-list" target="">
      FoRB Victims List    </a>
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-submenu prisoners-submenu" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-submenu" data-submenu-width="" data-class="prisoners-submenu" style="width: px">
  <div class="we-mega-menu-submenu-inner">
    <div  class="we-mega-menu-row" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-row" data-custom-row="0">
  <div  class="we-mega-menu-col span12" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-col" data-width="12" data-block="" data-blocktitle="0" data-hidewhencollapse="" data-class="">
  <ul class="nav nav-tabs subul">
  <li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="35fc887e-8d3e-4647-ba12-4a1fd91f7d67" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="_self">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/victims-list" target="_self">
      Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="ee46358a-b8d3-4dad-ba4d-71817c3e44e3" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="https://www.uscirf.gov/forb-victims-list-country-profiles" target="">
      Country Profiles    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="1" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="2da35d98-538c-48bd-94d9-8d278da067e6" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="_self">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/religious-prisoners-conscience/defending-freedoms-project" target="_self">
      Defending Freedoms Project    </a>
    
</li>
</ul>
</div>

</div>

  </div>
</div>
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="c6e9e334-12be-4ffa-a147-219011ced0c0" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/publications" target="">
      Publications    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li annual-reports-main-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="b97b75f2-91c9-406b-ac35-3fb515a5fa2d" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="annual-reports-main-menu" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a href='#' data-drupal-link-system-path="<front>" class="we-megamenu-nolink">
      Annual Reports</a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li contact-us-main-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="08a91ce4-1749-4802-9d63-fec08866060f" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="contact-us-main-menu" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/about-uscirf/contact-us" target="">
      Contact Us    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li facebook-main-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="7f0cde2b-9793-4526-be20-c4b63bc334e3" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="facebook-main-menu" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="https://www.facebook.com/USCIRF/" target="">
      Facebook    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li twitter-main-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="c826de4e-4ce3-4061-ac0a-4302162426ba" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="twitter-main-menu" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="https://twitter.com/USCIRF" target="">
      Twitter    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li youtube-main-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="1e402595-a453-40dd-9943-b009989f8fc4" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="youtube-main-menu" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/USCIRF09" target="">
      YouTube    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li instagram-main-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="74383991-57d2-4ad2-a520-5ec88f2b7081" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="instagram-main-menu" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="https://www.instagram.com/uscirf/" target="">
      Instagram    </a>
    
</li><li  class="we-mega-menu-li search-main-menu" data-level="0" data-element-type="we-mega-menu-li" description="" data-id="439a67c9-737f-4e67-b88e-5365dd63ed46" data-submenu="0" hide-sub-when-collapse="" data-group="0" data-class="search-main-menu" data-icon="" data-caption="" data-alignsub="" data-target="">
      <a class="we-mega-menu-li" title="" href="/" target="">
      Search    </a>
    
</li>
</ul>
		</div>
	</nav>
</div>

    </div>
  </div>


					</div>

				</div>
			</div>
			</header>

<div id="main-wrapper">

			<div class="hero">
			  <div class="block-layout-region">
    <div id="block-herointernalpageblock" class="block block-custom-blocks block-hero-internal-block">
  
    
      <div class="content">
      	
	
	
	
  
	<div class="internal_hero_wrapper custom-hero internal-hero-js-adjust">
		<div class="internal_hero" style='background-image: linear-gradient(to right, rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 3%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0), rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) ), url("/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/images/defaultHero.png"); background-position-x: center; background-position-y: center'>


			<div class="wrapper">
				<div class="container">
					<div class="content">
						<h1 class="internal-hero-title">Inter Press Service: After Two Years of Horrors in Burma, the U.S. Is Still Doing Too Little, Too Late </h1>
						
            <div class="custom-breadcrumb hidden"></div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>

<div id="insertNavHere"></div>

    </div>
  </div>

  </div>

		</div>
	
      
  
			<div id="main" class="container">
              <a id="main-content"></a>
          <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div><div id="block-uscirf2020-content" class="block block-system block-system-main-block">
  
    
      <div class="content">
      

	

<div class="news-page">


	

	<div class="news-info-wrapper">



					<p class="news-date">Aug 23, 2019</p>
			</div>


	

	<div class="news-paragraph-wrapper">
					





<div class="paragraph-section paragraph-unique-12532" style=""  data-animation="fadeIn" data-animation-delay="0.3">
	<div class="container">
					<div class="single-container row">
				

			<div class="col-md-12">
			


<div class="full-content">
	<p>This op-ed was originally published by Inter Press Service, on August 26, 2019.</p>

<p><em>By Nadine Maenza and Anurima Bhargava</em></p>

<p>Monsoon season is currently wreaking havoc on the more than 911,000 Rohingya refugees displaced from their homeland in Burma to the ramshackle camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Two years ago, in August 2017, a brutal military crackdown pushed more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities from Burma’s Rakhine State to flee for safety. The Burmese military has shamefully denied and tried to hide its barbarism, which includes arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, displacement, rape, torture and arbitrary killings. And, Burma’s government has repudiated the international community’s attempts to document the crimes committed under international law, all while denying Rohingya basic rights like freedom of movement, access to health care and basic necessities, and citizenship.</p>

<p>Shockingly, those responsible for these heinous crimes—either by the explicit actions of Burma’s military or the complicit indifference of Burma’s government—have thus far faced no serious consequences. Where is the U.S. government’s admonition and strong policy response?</p>

<p>First, it is imperative that the U.S. government decide whether the atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims, Christians and others in Burma constitute more than ethnic cleansing. When the U.S. Department of State last year issued its report documenting atrocities in northern Rakhine State, it created an expectation that a more serious determination—either crimes against humanity or genocide—would be forthcoming. The label “ethnic cleansing” unequivocally fails to capture the full extent of crimes that religious and ethnic communities in Burma have suffered at the hands of the military.</p>

<p>Second, the U.S. government must sanction Burmese military officials and the companies under the military’s control so that those who perpetrated these atrocities are held accountable for their crimes. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed economic sanctions on five military officials and two military units under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and the State Department placed travel bans on four other senior military leaders, including the commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. As commissioners on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) who recently travelled to Burma, we welcome these first steps. But banning the ability to travel to the United States is paltry compared to the monstrous acts the military has undertaken against religious and ethnic minorities. Targeted tools like economic sanctions must also be imposed on military officials and other responsible parties.</p>

<p>Thanks to a recent report issued by the United Nations’ Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, the international community now has a comprehensive list of the military’s businesses to consider for sanctions. The entities on the list—including two major holding companies: Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC)—are owned or influenced by Burma’s military and use the ill-gotten gains from their business ventures to commit human rights violations.</p>

<p>There may be legitimate concerns about the impact that sanctions or other bans will have on Burma’s economy and the overall bilateral relationship; for example, some fear that sanctions will push Burma into China’s arms. These two countries are fair-weather friends: chummy when it’s advantageous and oppositional when it’s not. Sanctions by the United States and others will not change this calculus.</p>

<p>Tragically, Rohingya Muslims are not the only victims. Burma’s military and security forces have used the same playbook of ruthless tactics in Rakhine State as they have been using for decades against ethnic minorities—many of whom are Christians—in Kachin and northern Shan states and elsewhere. For two decades, USCIRF has tracked, monitored and raised these abuses with the U.S. government.</p>

<p>For these and other systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom, we call on the State Department to redesignate Burma as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act. This designation acknowledges that Burma is not living up to its commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that protects the fundamental right to thought, conscience and religion.</p>

<p>Accountability is paramount, and the U.S. government must lead the way with a strong and substantive response. Yet for Rohingya Muslims and other religious and ethnic minorities, their future also is about justice and the ability to safely and voluntarily return home with dignity. Rohingya Muslims need to know that they can return—either from refugee camps in Bangladesh or from the internally displaced persons camps in Rakhine State—to their homelands. Plans by the governments of Bangladesh and Burma to repatriate Rohingya refugees should not move forward until conditions are independently verified as safe and Rohingya are consulted about their return, neither of which has happened. Other religious and ethnic minorities that face ongoing threats from the military and ethnic armed organizations require similar safe returns.</p>

<p>But first, the impunity and cycle of violence in Burma must end, and that starts when the U.S. government—including both the Administration and the U.S. Congress—steps up and leads the way for the international community to take a stand against such horrific human rights abuses.</p>

<p> </p>

<p><em>Nadine Maenza is vice chair at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the founding Executive Director of Patriot Voices.</em></p>

<p><em>Anurima Bhargava is a USCIRF commissioner, a civil rights lawyer who served in the Justice Department under the Obama Administration, and the president of Anthem of Us.</em></p>

<p> </p>

<p align="center">###</p>

<p><em>The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (</em><a href="http://t.sidekickopen10.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs64QWyWW64kg9C3M2slvW5vfRWq56dDK1f5cyKZz02?t=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uscirf.gov%2F&si=5552956296658944&pi=4170b80a-fd4b-443a-9214-7fb37b8e762f" target="_blank"><em>USCIRF</em></a><em>) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at </em><a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fbb69e9f929abbaea8b8b2a9bdd59c948d"><em><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8dc0e8e9e4eccdd8decec4dfcba3eae2fb">[email protected]</span></em></a><em> or Kellie Boyle at </em><a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#59323b3620353c192c2a3a302b3f773e362f"><em><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f398919c8a9f96b38680909a8195dd949c85">[email protected]</span></em></a> <em>or +1-703-898-6554.</em></p>

<p> </p>

<p> </p>

</div>

		</div>
	
			</div>
			</div>
</div>

			</div>
</div>

    </div>
  </div>
<div id="block-taxonomytermview" class="block block-custom-blocks block-taxonomy-term-view">
  
    
      <div class="content">
      
    </div>
  </div>


      		</div>
	</div>


<footer class="footer">
			<div class="container footer-content">
			<div class="footer-info">
				  <div class="block-layout-region">
    <div id="block-footerinformationblock" class="col-md-8 block block-custom-blocks block-footer-information-block">
  
    
      <div class="content">
      <div class="footer-information">
	<div class="footer-logo">
		<a href="/"><img src="/themes/custom/uscirf2020/assets/images/logo.png" alt=""></a>
	</div>
	<div class="footer-info-content">
		<p>United States Commission on International Religious Freedom</p>
		<p>732 N. Capitol Street, N.W., Suite A714 Washington, D.C. 20401</p>
		<p>
      			<a href="tel:(202) 523-3240">Phone:
				(202) 523-3240</a>
            		</p>
		<p>
      			<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#761b13121f17360305151f041058111900">Email:
				<span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="771a12131e16370204141e051159101801">[email protected]</span></a>
      		</p>
	</div>
</div>

    </div>
  </div>
<nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="block-footer-menu" id="block-footer" class="col-md-4 footer-menu block block-menu navigation menu--footer">
            
  <h2 class="sr-only" id="block-footer-menu">Footer</h2>
  

        
              <ul block="block-footer" class="clearfix nav navbar-nav">
                    <li class="nav-item">
                <a href="/about-uscirf/contact-us" class="nav-link nav-link--about-uscirf-contact-us" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/739">Contact Us</a>
              </li>
                <li class="nav-item">
                <a href="/about-uscirf/privacy-and-copyright-policy" class="nav-link nav-link--about-uscirf-privacy-and-copyright-policy" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/691">Privacy Policy</a>
              </li>
                <li class="nav-item">
                <a href="/sitemap" class="nav-link nav-link--sitemap" data-drupal-link-system-path="sitemap">Sitemap</a>
              </li>
        </ul>
  


  </nav>

  </div>

			</div>
		</div>
	</footer>

  </div>

    

    <script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script><script src="https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/v5.7.2/js/all.js" defer crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
<script src="https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/v5.7.2/js/v4-shims.js" defer crossorigin="anonymous"></script>


    <script type="application/json" data-drupal-selector="drupal-settings-json">{"path":{"baseUrl":"\/","scriptPath":null,"pathPrefix":"","currentPath":"node\/5132","currentPathIsAdmin":false,"isFront":false,"currentLanguage":"en"},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"back_to_top":{"back_to_top_button_trigger":100,"back_to_top_prevent_on_mobile":true,"back_to_top_prevent_in_admin":false,"back_to_top_button_type":"image","back_to_top_button_text":"Back to top"},"ds":{"show_viewport_info":0},"google_analytics":{"account":"UA-7936802-1","trackOutbound":true,"trackMailto":true,"trackDownload":true,"trackDownloadExtensions":"7z|aac|arc|arj|asf|asx|avi|bin|csv|doc(x|m)?|dot(x|m)?|exe|flv|gif|gz|gzip|hqx|jar|jpe?g|js|mp(2|3|4|e?g)|mov(ie)?|msi|msp|pdf|phps|png|ppt(x|m)?|pot(x|m)?|pps(x|m)?|ppam|sld(x|m)?|thmx|qtm?|ra(m|r)?|sea|sit|tar|tgz|torrent|txt|wav|wma|wmv|wpd|xls(x|m|b)?|xlt(x|m)|xlam|xml|z|zip"},"data":{"extlink":{"extTarget":true,"extTargetNoOverride":false,"extNofollow":false,"extNoreferrer":false,"extFollowNoOverride":false,"extClass":"0","extLabel":"(link is external)","extImgClass":false,"extSubdomains":false,"extExclude":"","extInclude":"(\\.pdf)","extCssExclude":"","extCssExplicit":"","extAlert":false,"extAlertText":"","mailtoClass":"0","mailtoLabel":"(link sends email)","extUseFontAwesome":false,"extIconPlacement":"append","extFaLinkClasses":"fa fa-external-link","extFaMailtoClasses":"fa fa-envelope-o","whitelistedDomains":[]}},"ajaxTrustedUrl":{"\/search-results":true},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"ed45d0af53e3fb9966d95a498282d5fc360d39ce17854b99037dbedf867a83e3"}}</script>
<script src="/sites/default/files/js/js_x_AilKq9byhKbW-zyZEdB9byT6NT8dPQLMJprqstS28.js"></script>
<script src="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/popper.js/1.14.3/umd/popper.min.js"></script>
<script src="//stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.1.1/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>
<script src="/sites/default/files/js/js_VBy4RcLoNXIGhOFaX34v6DnDqyNCQM6sRFV-7ClSjJY.js"></script>


      <!-- Go to www.addthis.com/dashboard to customize your tools -->
      <script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-5f16f2b23ddb5c04"></script>
  </body>
</html>