US Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Reject Myanmar Junta’s ‘Sham Election’

The US Congress on Thursday urged the Trump administration to publicly denounce the Myanmar junta’s planned election as a sham, and to appoint a Special Representative and Policy Coordinator to lead US efforts in addressing the country’s escalating crisis.

In a joint statement, lawmakers from two subcommittees of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs stressed that the US “must continue to stand with the people of Burma as they pursue freedom, dignity, and a democratic future.” The US government refers to Myanmar as Burma.

The bipartisan statement followed Wednesday’s congressional hearing titled “Burma’s Ongoing Military and Humanitarian Crisis and America’s Limited Options.” The hearing was hosted by the Committee on Foreign Affairs and involved its subcommittees for East Asia and Pacific; and South and Central Asia.