On Eve of Historic Vote in U.S. House of Representatives for the “BURMA Act of 2021” (H.R. 5497), Broad Coalition Calls for Its Passage.
April 4, 2022
As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares a historic vote early this week on the bipartisan “BURMA Act of 2021” (H.R. 5497), a broad coalition of Burma (Myanmar) diaspora community organizations and their allies have called on Congress to pass the “Burma Act of 2021” and send it swiftly to President Biden’s desk.
For a copy of the letter: https://bit.ly/Congress_BurmaAct
Introduced in the wake of the February 2021 Myanmar military coup, the “BURMA Act of 2021” is sponsored in the Senate (S. 2937) by Senator Ben Cardin (D, Maryland) and in the House (H.R. 5497) by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D, New York), Rep. Steve Chabot (R, Ohio) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R, Texas). The bill would authorize humanitarian assistance and civil society support, promote democracy and human rights, and impose targeted sanctions on the Myanmar military with respect to its human rights abuses in Burma.
“It has already been #1year2long that we have waited for the BURMA Act of 2021 to be passed. The people of Burma can no longer afford to wait, so neither should we. While mechanisms to both impair the Myanmar military and support the people of Burma can still be employed, the time to act is now. Before it’s too late, Congress must pass the BURMA Act immediately,” Jan Jan Maran, Co-Founder and Executive, Global Movement for Myanmar Democracy (GM4MD)
“The BURMA Act of 2021 is the next comprehensive step in United States’ ongoing support for democracy in Burma. We, the diaspora, support the humanitarian and democracy aid authorized in the Burma Act along with the justice and accountability mechanisms for the atrocity crimes committed by the military regime,” Wai Khine, U.S. Advocacy Coalition for Myanmar.
“We urge the U.S. House of Representatives this week to pass the BURMA Act of 2021 in consideration of those killed by the military junta and the destruction that the regime imposes on human rights and democracy. Congress must take swift and concrete actions in holding the junta accountable for their crimes and supporting the people of Burma’s path to democracy,” Simon Billenness, Executive Director
International Campaign for the Rohingya.
Jan Jan Maran
Co-Founder and Executive
Global Movement for Myanmar Democracy (GM4MD)
(571) 620-9163 (cell)
Simon Billenness
Executive Director
International Campaign for the Rohingya
(617) 596-6158 (cell)