[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 85 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 85

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  Nations Security Council should immediately impose an arms embargo 
                     against the military of Burma.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2023

   Ms. Tenney (for herself, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Wilson of South 
    Carolina, Ms. Sherrill, Mr. Bera, Mr. Keating, Mr. Sherman, Mr. 
Williams of New York, Ms. Norton, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Omar, Mr. McGovern, 
     Mr. Schneider, and Ms. Kamlager-Dove) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  Nations Security Council should immediately impose an arms embargo 
                     against the military of Burma.

Whereas the military of Burma (also referred to as the ``Tatmadaw'') conducted a 
        coup against the democratically elected civilian government on February 
        1, 2021;
Whereas, on February 2, 2021, the Department of State concluded that Daw Aung 
        San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma's ruling party, and President Win 
        Myint, the duly elected head of government, were deposed in a military 
        coup on February 1, 2021;
Whereas the Tatmadaw has detained the elected civilian leaders of the country, 
        nullified the results of the November 2020 democratic elections, and 
        installed a junta, the State Administration Council, under a ``state of 
        emergency'';
Whereas the Tatmadaw has restricted freedom of movement, telecommunications, 
        internet service, and the media, limiting access to information to and 
        from Burma during a political crisis and international pandemic;
Whereas protests opposing the coup have continued across Burma, and hundreds of 
        innocent people have died at the hands of the Tatmadaw through the 
        brutal use of force;
Whereas the United States has sanctioned Tatmadaw officials, including Commander 
        in Chief Min Aung Hlaing and Burma's chief of police, Than Hlaing, and 
        Bureau of Special Operations commander, Lieutenant General Aung Soe;
Whereas the United States has also designated two entities linked to the coup 
        leaders, Myanma Economic Holdings Public Company Limited (MEHL) and 
        Myanmar Economic Corporation Limited (MEC);
Whereas, on April 13, 2021, the United Nation's High Commissioner for Human 
        Rights Michelle Bachelet said, ``There are clear echoes of Syria in 
        2011.'' in the current situation in Burma, and warned, ``I fear the 
        situation in Myanmar is heading towards a full-blown conflict. States 
        must not allow the deadly mistakes of the past in Syria and elsewhere to 
        be repeated.''; and
Whereas, on February 3, 2021, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres 
        stated, ``We will do everything we can to mobilize all the key actors 
        and international community to put enough pressure on Myanmar to make 
        sure that this coup fails.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the United Nations Security Council should immediately 
        impose an arms embargo against the military of Burma to prevent 
        the continued acquisition of arms and military equipment and 
        the proliferation of weapons throughout the country, and to 
        hold the Tatmadaw accountable for--
                    (A) ongoing violations of human rights and the 
                security forces' history of grave abuses against 
                peaceful protestors of military rule and against the 
                Rohingya and other ethnic minority groups;
                    (B) obstructing humanitarian access to civilian 
                populations in dire need of assistance;
                    (C) using increasingly lethal force against 
                peaceful, prodemocracy demonstrators; and
                    (D) threatening and arbitrarily detaining 
                government officials, activists, journalists, students, 
                and civil servants, and imposing rolling internet 
                shutdowns that put lives at risk;
            (2) the lifting of a United Nations arms embargo should be 
        contingent upon the Tatmadaw--
                    (A) implementing a permanent cease-fire;
                    (B) releasing the democratically elected government 
                leaders from imprisonment;
                    (C) bearing the primary responsibility for gross 
                human rights abuses and forced displacement perpetrated 
                by the Tatmadaw's violent rule, including but not 
                limited to the Rohingya, Karen, Rakhine, and Kachin 
                ethnic minorities;
                    (D) allowing for consistent, unimpeded humanitarian 
                access to vulnerable civilian populations;
                    (E) fully restoring internet and telecommunications 
                access within the country of Burma; and
                    (F) establishing a clear and verifiable process to 
                immediately transition power back to a democratically 
                elected civilian-led government; and
            (3) the international community should continue to support 
        civilians, particularly ethnic minorities, who have been 
        adversely affected by the coup in Burma and should promote 
        peace and reconciliation dialogues within local civil society.
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