Bill Text: MI HR0183 | 2017-2018 | 99th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to urge Congress to condemn the violence against the Rohingya people in Myanmar and pursue policies that will permanently ensure their safety and protect their human rights.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-10-18 - Referred To Committee On Military And Veterans Affairs [HR0183 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2017-HR0183-Introduced.html
Rep. Hammoud offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 183.
A resolution to urge Congress to condemn the violence against the Rohingya people in Myanmar and pursue policies that will permanently ensure their safety and protect their human rights.
Whereas, The Rohingya people have long been one of the most persecuted groups on the planet. The Rohingya people are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from western Myanmar who have been subjected to unacceptable treatment by the government of Myanmar for more than a generation. They were stripped of their citizenship in 1982 and have faced restrictions on movement, education, religious practice, and labor, in addition to harassment and violence; and
Whereas, The Rohingya people currently face a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. In response to attacks carried out by Rohingya militants against the government of Myanmar in August 2017, the police and military began a campaign of disproportionate violence that has killed thousands and forced approximately 500,000 Rohingya people to flee their homes in Myanmar to Bangladesh. Roughly one-third of the entire Rohingya population are refugees as a result of this violence which reportedly has included executions, beatings, sexual assaults, and wholesale destructions of Rohingya villages; and
Whereas, The government of Myanmar has largely prevented international aid organizations from reaching the Rohingya people and has blocked outside observers and journalists from gaining access to areas impacted by these atrocities; and
Whereas, The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights announced that the situation in Myanmar "seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing." Other organizations have referred to the government's actions as "crimes against humanity," even leading some to consider whether the Rohingya people are facing genocide in Myanmar; and
Whereas, The United States has a moral obligation to work with the international community to prevent gross violations of human rights. The nations of the world must place consistent pressure on the government of Myanmar to stop the violence against the Rohingya people for good and allow aid to reach them; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge Congress to condemn the violence against the Rohingya people in Myanmar and pursue policies that will permanently ensure their safety and protect their human rights; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
