Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he has been shocked by Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrogant reaction to the issue of human rights and trafficking.
Corker raised the issue of human trafficking – which mostly involves Burma’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim community – in a meeting with Kyi at Vice President Joe Biden’s residence in Washington, D.C. Kyi is in Washington on a visit during which she has met with President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders.
“While we certainly appreciate the work Aung San Suu Kyi has done to ensure a democratic transition in Burma, I am somewhat appalled by her dismissive reaction to concerns I raised this morning about the problem of human trafficking in her country,” said Corker.
The Republican senator has long been a supporter of efforts to fight human trafficking and modern slavery. Last year, Corker introduced The End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015 (S.553), which would create a powerful effort in concert with the private sector and foreign governments to help eliminate modern slavery around the world, his office said.
Corker’s legislation passed unanimously out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and in December 2015, the Senate passed the fiscal year 2016 “omnibus” appropriations bill, which included funding for the initiative.
The lawmaker said he would remain focused on the issue as it concerns Burma, which has been downgraded to the lowest level on the State Department’s list of human trafficking offenders.
“After witnessing her lack of regard for Burma’s dismal track record on this issue, I plan to pay very close attention to her government’s efforts to prevent innocent human beings from being trafficked and sold into forced labor and sex slavery,” he added in the statement.
Rohingya Muslims are considered to be among the most perscuted communities in the world and Kyi, who who symbolized democratic struggle of the Burmese people, has been facing criticism for not taking a categorical stand on the issue of Rohingya’s being part of the Burma’s population.
Meanwhile, according to Roll Call, Corker voiced shock in an intereview over the response he got from Kyi, who is now foreign minister of Burma, also called Myanmar.
“Just to be honest was somewhat shocked that … any official like her could be so dismissive of human slavery, so my antenna certainly has gone way up,” the Tennessee senator said.
“It’s an issue that’s important to me. It’s an issue that’s important to a lot of people, and I just found her to be somewhat arrogant about the issue and dismissive, and I was very put off by her lack of concern,” the legislator said. “Much of that activity I know occurs with an ethnic minority that’s not her political base.”
