Press Release
Rep. Ami Bera Chairs House Foreign Affairs Hearing on Rohingya Crisis
Washington, DC,
August 3, 2020
Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, today chaired a subcommittee hearing on the Rohingya crisis. "While no longer in the media spotlight, the Rohingya people continue to endure a systematic campaign of persecution, forced disappearance, rape, and murder. Congress must continue to shine a spotlight on the plight of the Rohingya and formulate steps the United States government can take to alleviate their suffering," said Chairman Bera. "I'm very concerned about the potential outbreak of COVID-19 in Rohingya refugee camps, which would create a devastating health and humanitarian disaster. The plight of the Rohingya during COVID-19 reflects the challenges confronting vulnerable populations around the world. It's critical that Congress include in its next coronavirus relief package humanitarian assistance to assist the Rohingya and other populations in need, so that the world can prevent future harm and avoid reversing global health and development gains that have been made in recent decades. The United States and the world will be safer and more secure with it." Congressman Bera signed an April 2020 bi-cameral letter urging the government of Bangladesh to restore telecommunications access in Rohingya refugee camps to ensure lifesaving COVID-19 public health information and humanitarian assistance continues to flow unimpeded. |