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Thursday 07 May 2015 - 23:31 Makkah mean time-18-7-1436
Burning of mosques in Myanmar (Image from Internet)
Washington (IINA) – The United States has expressed concern over four proposed religious bills in Myanmar, which critics say could be used against religious minorities, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.
Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken "raised concerns regarding the four draft bills" during a meeting in Washington Monday with Speaker of Myanmar's parliament Shwe Mann, according to State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke.
The Myanmar government last year submitted four bills covering marriage, religious conversions, monogamy, and population controls based on religion. Activists and human rights groups have condemned the proposals, saying they would violate international standards on freedom of religion and women's rights.
Blinken also stressed the importance of implementing durable solutions to human rights challenges in Myanmar and asked for a transparent and independent investigation into the use of force against protesters.
Deputy National Security Advisor Benjamin Rhodes also attended the meeting in Washington. In a statement, National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said, “Mr. Rhodes expressed hope that political dialogue would lead to equitable and durable peace in the country.”
However, Rhodes also highlighted the urgent need for the Burmese government to fulfill their commitments to improve the lives and livelihoods of those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine (Arakan) State.
Violence between Myanmar's Buddhist majority and Rohingya Muslim minority has killed more than 240 people and forced about 140,000 out of their homes since 2012.
The meeting in Washington followed a visit to Yangon by David Saperstein, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. During that trip, he told VOA that Myanmar's religious minorities face serious obstacles not encountered by the country's Buddhist majority.
AB/IINA
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