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S.Res.376 / 115th Congress

A resolution urging the Governments of Burma and Bangladesh to ensure the safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees who have been displaced by the campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted by the Burmese military.

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 358.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 23, 2018

Condemns: (1) the violence and displacement inflicted on Burma's (Myanmar's) Rohingya and other ethnic minorities, and (2) the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant group. Calls for an immediate halt to all hostilities by Burmese authorities.

Calls on:

the government of Burma to allow full access to Rakhine State and to ensure the full participation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and that the voices of refugees are represented,

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the UNHCR and international nongovernmental organizations to play a role in monitoring repatriation efforts by the governments of Bangladesh and Burma, and

the United Nations to consider the feasibility of Bangladesh's proposal for a safe zone or for a peacekeeping mission to protect vulnerable communities under international supervision.

Commends: (1) the positive role of the government of Bangladesh in receiving Rohingya refugees and urges that government to continue allowing the full participation of the UNHCR and human rights organizations in accessing refugee camps, and (2) the Bangladesh's efforts to provide shelter and relief for such refugees.

Calls for any return of Rohingya to include specified guarantees.

Recognizes that any forced relocation of Rohingya refugees into areas not of their choosing is unacceptable.

Calls on the government of Burma to:

allow for a flexible and practical approach to dealing with evidence of Rohingya residence in Burma;

address root causes consistent with the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations and fully implement such recommendations;

address the issue of statelessness for the Rohingya, the deprivation of rights, and institutionalized and pervasive discrimination; and

release journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.

Calls on the government of Bangladesh to ensure that all refugees have freedom of movement and are not subject to unsafe, involuntary, precipitous, or uninformed returns to Burma.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
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Who introduced it

Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · D–OR

Committees

  • Foreign Relations Committee
18 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 358.

  2. Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Corker with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title and with an amended preamble. Without written report.

  3. Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Corker with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title and with an amended preamble. Without written report.

  4. Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

  5. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S468-469)

  6. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Jan 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

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Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze S.Res.376 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine S.Res.376 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

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Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine S.Res.376 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

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Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine S.Res.376 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

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