US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a legislation holding senior Myanmar military officials accountable for mass atrocities against the Rohingya.
The BURMA Act (HR 5819) also urged the Myanmar government to cooperate with the United Nations fact-finding mission, provide access to humanitarian aid groups, facilitate the return of the Rohingya, and release Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, reports UNB.“We commend the House Foreign Affairs Committee, especially the lead co-sponsors, Representative Engel and Representative Chabot, for overcoming this key hurdle,” Francisco Bencosme, advocacy manager for Asia Pacific at Amnesty International USA, said in a statement on Thursday.
It reads: “Congress needs to send a signal to the Myanmar military that it cannot act with impunity. This legislation is a crucial step towards addressing the systematic and widespread human rights abuses and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya that have been well documented by Amnesty International.”