[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 211 Reported in Senate (RS)]






                                                       Calendar No. 294
107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 211


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 15, 2001

      Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

                           December 14, 2001

   Reported by Mr. Biden, with an amendment and an amendment to the 
                                preamble
      [Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]
 [Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in 
                                italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Commending Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the 10th anniversary of her 
    receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and expressing the sense of the 
           Congress with respect to the Government of Burma.

<DELETED>Whereas since 1962, the people of Burma have lived under a repressive 
        military regime;
Whereas in 1988, the people of Burma rose up in massive prodemocracy 
        demonstrations;
Whereas in response to this call for change, the Burmese military brutally 
        suppressed these demonstrations;
Whereas opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest 
        after these demonstrations;
Whereas in the 1990 Burmese elections, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led the National 
        League for Democracy and affiliated parties to a landslide victory, 
        winning 80 percent of the parliamentary seats;
Whereas the ruling military regime rejected this election and proceeded to 
        arrest hundreds of members of the National League for Democracy;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom of speech was restricted by the military 
        regime;
Whereas in recognition of her efforts to bring democracy to Burma, Daw Aung San 
        Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 14, 1991;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remained under unlawful house arrest until 1995;
Whereas even after her release, the Burmese military regime, known as the State 
        Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has continued to ignore the basic 
        human rights of 48,000,000 Burmese citizens and has brutally suppressed 
        any opposition to its authority;
Whereas according to the State Department, the SPDC has made no significant 
        progress toward stopping the practice of human trafficking, whereby 
        thousands of people have been sent to Thailand for the purpose of 
        factory and household work and for sexual exploitation;
Whereas the SPDC has forced civilians to work in industrial, military, and 
        infrastructure construction operations throughout Burma, and on a large-
        scale basis has targeted ethnic and religious minorities for this work;
Whereas a Department of Labor report in 2000 described the human rights abuses 
        of forced laborers, including beating, torture, starvation, and summary 
        executions;
Whereas the worldwide scourge of heroin and methamphetamines is significantly 
        aggravated by large-scale cultivation and production of these drugs in 
        Burma;
Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency has reported that Burma is the world's 
        second largest producer of opium and opiate-based drugs;
Whereas officials in Thailand have estimated that as many as 800 million tablets 
        of methamphetamine will be smuggled into their country this year, 
        contributing to the growing methamphetamine problem in Thailand;
Whereas there are as many as a million internally displaced persons in Burma;
Whereas the SPDC has severely restricted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's political 
        activities;
Whereas in September 2000, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest 
        when she attempted to visit a National League for Democracy party office 
        on the outskirts of Rangoon, and again when she attempted to travel by 
        train to Mandalay;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has recently begun talks with the SPDC which are 
        welcomed by the international community, although the slow pace of the 
        talks reflects on the SPDC's sincerity to move toward national 
        reconciliation;
Whereas the SPDC has recently allowed the National League for Democracy 
        to open some political offices, and has released some political 
        prisoners, although over 1,800 such prisoners are believed to 
        remain imprisoned;
Whereas with the exception of these positive developments the SPDC has 
        made little progress in improving human rights conditions and 
        restoring democracy to the country;
Whereas the SPDC has continued to restrict the political power of Daw 
        Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle to assert the rights of her 
        people has spread beyond politics and into popular culture, as 
        evidenced by others championing her cause, most notably the 
        rock group U2 in their song ``Walk On'', which is banned in 
        Burma; and
Whereas, in the face of oppression, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has remained 
        an outspoken champion of democracy and freedom: Now, therefore, 
        be it
</DELETED>Whereas, since 1962, the people of Burma have lived under a repressive 
        military regime;
Whereas, in 1988, the people of Burma rose up in massive prodemocracy 
        demonstrations;
Whereas, in response to this call for change, the Burmese military brutally 
        suppressed these demonstrations;
Whereas opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest 
        after these demonstrations;
Whereas, in the 1990 Burmese elections, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led the National 
        League for Democracy and affiliated parties to a landslide victory, 
        winning 80 percent of the parliamentary seats;
Whereas the ruling military regime rejected this election and proceeded to 
        arrest hundreds of members of the National League for Democracy;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom of speech, assembly, association, and 
        movement was restricted by the military regime;
Whereas, in recognition of her efforts to bring democracy to Burma, Daw Aung San 
        Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1991;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remained under unlawful house arrest until 1995;
Whereas, even after the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese military 
        regime, known as the State Peace and Development Council (in this 
        concurrent resolution referred to as the ``SPDC''), has continued to 
        ignore the basic human rights of 48,000,000 Burmese citizens and has 
        brutally suppressed any opposition to its authority;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the SPDC has made no significant 
        progress toward stopping the practice of human trafficking, whereby 
        thousands of people have been sent to Thailand and other countries for 
        the purpose of factory and household work and for sexual exploitation;
Whereas the SPDC has forced civilians to work in industrial, military, and 
        infrastructure construction operations throughout Burma, and on a large-
        scale basis has targeted ethnic and religious minorities for this work;
Whereas a Department of Labor report in 2000 described the human rights abuses 
        of forced laborers, including beating, torture, starvation, and summary 
        executions;
Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration has reported that Burma is the 
        world's second largest producer of opium and opiate-based drugs;
Whereas officials in Thailand have estimated that as many as 800 million tablets 
        of methamphetamine will be smuggled into their country this year, 
        contributing to the growing methamphetamine problem in Thailand;
Whereas there are as many as a million internally displaced persons in Burma;
Whereas the SPDC continues to severely restrict the political activities of Daw 
        Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy;
Whereas, in September 2000, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest 
        when she attempted to visit a National League for Democracy party office 
        on the outskirts of Rangoon, and again when she attempted to travel by 
        train to Mandalay;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the SPDC have recently begun talks under the 
        auspices of the United Nations Special Envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, 
        which are welcomed by the international community;
Whereas the SPDC has recently allowed the National League for Democracy to open 
        some political offices, and has released some political prisoners, 
        although over 1,800 such prisoners are believed to remain imprisoned;
Whereas, with the exception of these positive developments, the SPDC has made 
        little progress in improving human rights conditions and restoring 
        democracy to Burma;
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly has recently expressed its concern 
        over the slow progress in the talks between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the 
        SPDC;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle to assert the rights of her people has 
        spread beyond politics and into popular culture, as evidenced by others 
        championing her cause, most notably the rock group U2 in their song 
        ``Walk On'', which is banned in Burma;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of 
        Freedom; and
Whereas, in the face of oppression and at great personal sacrifice, Daw Aung San 
        Suu Kyi has remained an outspoken champion of democracy and freedom: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
<DELETED>    That--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the Congress commends and congratulates Daw 
        Aung San Suu Kyi on the 10th anniversary of her receiving the 
        Nobel Peace Prize, and recognizes her remarkable contributions 
        and tireless work toward bringing peace and democracy to 
        Burma;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) it is the sense of the Congress that the 
        President and Secretary of State should continue to encourage 
        the Government of Burma to restore basic human rights to the 
        Burmese people, to eliminate the practice of human trafficking, 
        to address the manufacture of heroin and methamphetamines, to 
        continue the process of releasing political prisoners, to 
        recognize the results of the 1990 democratic elections, and to 
        allow Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for 
        Democracy to enjoy unfettered freedom of speech and freedom of 
        movement; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) it is the sense of the Congress that Daw Aung 
        San Suu Kyi should be invited to address a joint meeting of the 
        Congress at such time and under such circumstances as will, in 
        the judgment of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, advance rather than 
        endanger her continued ability to work within Burma for the 
        rights of the Burmese people.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. COMMENDATION OF DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI AND SENSE OF CONGRESS 
              WITH RESPECT TO THE GOVERNMENT OF BURMA.

    (a) Commendation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.--Congress--
            (1) commends and congratulates Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the 
        10th anniversary of her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize; and
            (2) recognizes her remarkable contributions and tireless 
        work toward bringing national reconciliation and democracy to 
        Burma.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
President and the Secretary of State should continue to encourage the 
SPDC to--
            (1) restore basic human rights to the Burmese people;
            (2) eliminate the practice of human trafficking;
            (3) address the manufacture of heroin and methamphetamines;
            (4) release all political prisoners;
            (5) remove all restrictions on the freedom of speech, 
        assembly, association, and movement of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and 
        members of the National League for Democracy;
            (6) recognize the results of the 1990 democratic elections; 
        and
            (7) take concrete steps to achieve national reconciliation 
        and the restoration of democracy through genuine and 
        substantive dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.




                                                       Calendar No. 294

107th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                            H. CON. RES. 211

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

    Commending Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the 10th anniversary of her 
    receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and expressing the sense of the 
           Congress with respect to the Government of Burma.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           December 14, 2001

      Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble