Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement on reports of increased Burmese troop levels in northern Rakhine State, which is home to a large population of Rohingya Muslims:

“Burma has a terrible and ongoing history of repressing the Rohingya Muslims – perhaps the world’s most persecuted minority group – which is why I am very concerned by reports of increased troop levels in northern Rakhine State. The presence of these troops creates the potential for serious human rights abuses. The administration must make it clear that for U.S.-Burma relations to improve, Burma must protect the human rights of all its people.”

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