A U.S. congressional subcommittee will review on Tuesday legislation that would place limits on security assistance to Myanmar unless the country’s government demonstrates it is taking “concrete steps” on a number of human rights and pro-democracy fronts.
The Burma Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2014 would condition U.S. security assistance funds to Myanmar for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 to establishing civilian oversight of the military, publicly acknowledging human rights abuses committed by the armed forces, terminating military relations with North Korea and establishing a “fair, transparent and inclusive process to amend the constitution,” among several other requirements.
Included in the bill is a special note stressing that none of its contents should be construed as preventing U.S. disaster assistance for Myanmar.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
