US lawmakers launch congressional caucus on Myanmar to bolster support for pro-democracy fighters
- Democrat Betty McCollum and Republican Bill Huizenga said the first-ever caucus on the coup-hit nation will ‘address issues impacting the Burmese people across the US’
- They also urged congressional leaders to pay more attention to the crisis in Myanmar since the military seized power three years ago
Chaired by Democrat Betty McCollum of Minnesota and Republican Bill Huizenga from Michigan, the bipartisan caucus aims to bolster congressional support for people in Myanmar fighting against the junta, which deposed the Southeast Asian nation’s democratically-elected leaders on February 1, 2021.
Congressional caucuses are groups of members of Congress who meet to coordinate on common legislative goals. There are often hundreds of caucuses in a given congressional session, though some are more active than others.
“This caucus will serve as an important conduit for Burmese communities across the United States and look for ways to support human rights and democratic representation for the people of Burma,” Huizenga said on Thursday, using Myanmar’s former name of Burma.
The two co-chairs also added in a press release that the caucus will “address and advocate for issues directly impacting Burma, the Burmese people, and Burmese communities … across the United States”.
The humanitarian crisis in the country is at a level that urgently needs attention from congressional leaders, they said.
Myanmar’s junta likely to up brutality amid ‘survival game’ 3 years after coup
On Wednesday, the ruling junta extended a state of emergency that has been in place since 2021 – months after a shock offensive by armed ethnic groups took territory near China’s border formerly under the military’s control.
The United Nations estimates that 2.3 million people have been displaced in Myanmar since the coup, and thousands have been killed, as the junta’s forces continue to fight militias allied with a shadow government and ethnic minority armies.
In response to the crisis, the US Congress passed the Burma Act in 2022, which authorises technical and non-lethal aid for Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups, the opposition shadow government and pro-democracy organisations, in addition to continued humanitarian aid.
Washington has also imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on individuals and companies tied to the junta. On Wednesday, it slapped further punitive measures on Myanmar-based entities and called for countries around the world to ramp up pressure on the General Min Aung Hlaing-led regime to cease violence.
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Myanmar faces its biggest challenge yet to its rule amid recent setbacks in war with rebel groups
US-based advocates hope the new congressional caucus will help push for stronger implementation of the Burma Act, a special American envoy to Naypyidaw and a new advisory group to deal with the US$1 billion in Myanmar government funds frozen in US banks since the military takeover.
The US-based Campaign for a New Myanmar welcomed the launch of the new caucus.
“We urgently need leadership by the US Congress to ensure that the US administration steps up to support the Burmese people in their struggle to restore civilian rule,” it said on Thursday.
