About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (June 26, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbadw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Inforrg the agi ative debate since 1914 Updated June 26, 2019 U.S. Relations with Burma: Key Issues in 2019 Some Members of Congress have been critical of the Trump Administration's Burma policy, particularly its limited response to atrocities committed by the Burmese military (Tatmadaw), the intensification of the nation's long-standing civil war, and rising concerns about political repression and civil rights. In December 2018, Congress passed the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-409), which prohibits funding for International Military Education and Training (IMET) and the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) Program in Burma for fiscal years 2019 through 2023. The Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability (BURMA) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3190) and Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act of 2019 (S. 1186) would place additional restrictions on relations with Burma, particularly military and trade relations. The Rohingya Crises Continue More than 700,000 Sunni Rohingya fled northern Rakhine State to Bangladesh in late 2017, seeking to escape Tatmadaw forces that destroyed almost 400 Rohingya villages, killed at least 6,700 Rohingya (according to human rights groups and Doctors Without Borders). Repatriation under an October 2018 agreement between the two nations is stalled as the Burmese government is unable or unwilling to establish conditions that would allow the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of the Rohingya. The Rohingya also seek return to locations at or near their original villages, recognition as an indigenous ethnic minority, restoration of their full citizenship, establishment of an accountability mechanism to investigate and prosecute the alleged atrocities, and the termination of laws and policies that discriminate against Muslims as preconditions for their return. The prospects for return continued to diminish in 2019, in part due to the outbreak of fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Tatmadaw in northern Rakhine State. Burma's mixed military/civilian government has so far denied any systematic and/or widespread misconduct by the Tatmadaw, and continues to deny the United Nations, international humanitarian assistance organizations, and local and international media unrestricted access to northern Rakhine State. In June 2019, the topic of Rohingya repatriation emerged as a key issue at the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok. ASEAN leaders stressed their commitment to support Burma in creating a safe environment for the Rohingya. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 909,000 Rohingya were in refugee camps in Bangladesh as of March 2019. A Joint Response Plan for calendar year 2019 sought $920.5 million for humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya ht refugees and local host communities. The U.S. government has provided $240.9 million. Figure I. MaD of Burma (Mvanmar) Source: CRS. Escalating Fighting Despite Ceasefire Burma has been embroiled in a low-grade civil war between the Tatmadaw and over 20 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) since 1962. Significant portions of the nation are effectively under EAO control, particularly in Kachin and Shan States. Since the Tatmadaw transferred power to a mixed civilian-military government in 2011, fighting has been largely limited to Kachin and Shan States, with periodic skirmishes in Kayin State. The government of former President Thein Sein and the current NLD-led government have attempted to negotiate a nationwide ceasefire agreement and an end to the nation's civil war, but these efforts have had limited success, largely due to the Tatmadaw's unwillingness to compromise with the demands of the EAOs. In December 2018, the AA launched coordinated attacks on security outposts in northern Rakhine State as part of its plan to establish an autonomous Arakan region, similar to rts.congress.gov

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most