Hundreds have been killed, though with journalists denied access to
large areas of Rakhine State, that number is clearly very much higher
than those reported. At least 200 villages have been burned to the
ground. Land mines have been placed inside Burma's border with
Bangladesh, maiming refugees seeking safe haven. There are reports of
rapes and all types of violence committed against the Rohingya by the
Burmese security forces. Importantly, this resolution not only condemns the attack against
civilians by Burma's security services led by General Min Aung Hlaing,
it also reaffirms the crimes committed against the Rohingya as ethnic
cleansing. Recently, Secretary of State Tillerson made this strong but
warranted determination, a decision that deserves our praise here. Bangladesh also deserves credit for opening its borders in order to
handle the human refugees that are streaming out of Burma, but its
government has to honor its promise to build shelter for new arrivals
and provide medical services. In response to this crisis, Secretary Tillerson recently announced an
additional $47 million in humanitarian assistance for Burma and
Bangladesh, bringing the total U.S. assistance to more than $150
million this year. It is very much needed.
Keywords matched
refugees