Marco Rubio is the U.S. Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, he is the top U.S. diplomat and is responsible for issuing official statements on behalf of the U.S. government about foreign countries and events like Burma’s Independence Day.
The “ongoing crisis in Burma” mainly refers to the situation since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021: the army overthrew the elected government, violently repressed nationwide protests, launched widespread attacks on civilians, caused large‑scale displacement and poverty, and continued earlier abuses against ethnic minorities such as the Rohingya. The UN and human‑rights groups describe this as a deepening human rights, humanitarian, and economic crisis.
In this context, “the military regime” means the armed forces that took control of Burma/Myanmar in the February 2021 coup—commonly called the junta—led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Until mid‑2025 it ruled through a body called the State Administration Council (SAC); after the SAC was dissolved, Min Aung Hlaing and the military kept de facto power under new structures, but are still referred to as the military regime or junta.
“Those unjustly detained” refers to people the military has arrested and imprisoned for political or arbitrary reasons, not for genuine crimes. This includes elected leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, protesters, activists, journalists, human‑rights defenders, and ordinary citizens accused of supporting the anti‑coup movement. Rights groups say tens of thousands have been detained under abusive or fabricated charges.
“Unhindered access to humanitarian assistance” means aid workers must be able to reach people in need anywhere in Burma without the military blocking them—no arbitrary travel bans, roadblocks, denial of visas or permits, or attacks on aid staff and supplies. The assistance is mainly provided by UN agencies (like OCHA, WFP, UNICEF), the Red Cross/Red Crescent, international NGOs, and Burmese community and civil‑society groups.
The United States cannot directly control events in Burma, but it can influence them through diplomacy and pressure. Tools include: targeted sanctions on junta leaders, military‑owned companies, and sectors like jet fuel and oil and gas; export controls and restrictions on arms and dual‑use goods; support and funding for pro‑democracy and civil‑society groups under laws like the BURMA Act; humanitarian aid to Burmese civilians and refugees; coordination of pressure and diplomacy with allies and at the UN; and public statements and resolutions that delegitimize the junta and call for accountability.
Instability in Burma can spill over into the wider Indo‑Pacific by driving large refugee flows into neighbors like Thailand, India, China, and Bangladesh; creating ungoverned border areas where armed groups, militias, and criminal networks (such as online fraud and trafficking rings) operate; disrupting cross‑border trade and infrastructure projects; and pulling in outside powers that back different sides, which can worsen great‑power competition. Analysts warn that the longer Myanmar’s conflict continues, the more it undercuts regional stability, security, and economic integration in the Indo‑Pacific.