[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 92 (Friday, July 15, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          CONCERNING THE IMPRISONMENT OF DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI

  The resolution (S. Res. 234) expressing the sense of the Senate 
concerning the fifth year of imprisonment of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by 
Burma's military dictatorship, and for other purposes, which had been 
reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations, was considered and 
agreed to as follows:

                              S. Res. 234

       Whereas on July 19, 1994, Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung 
     San Suu Kyi will have endured five years of unlawful house 
     arrest by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (in 
     this preamble referred to as the ``SLORC''), the military 
     junta in Burma;
       Whereas on May 27, 1990, the people of Burma voted 
     overwhelmingly in a free election for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi 
     and the National League for Democracy;
       Whereas despite numerous pledges, the SLORC has failed to 
     honor the results of the May 1990 elections;
       Whereas the United States recognizes the individuals who 
     won the 1990 elections as the legitimate representatives of 
     the Burmese people;
       Whereas the United States has not sent an ambassador to 
     Rangoon to protest the failure of the SLORC to honor the 1990 
     elections and the continued human rights abuses suffered by 
     the Burmese people;
       Whereas the United Nations General Assembly states in 
     resolution 48/150 that no evident progress has been made to 
     restore democracy in accordance with the will of the people 
     of Burma as expressed in the 1990 election;
       Whereas the Special Rapporteur for Burma appointed by the 
     United Nations Commission on Human Rights has been denied 
     access to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners 
     in Burma;
       Whereas the Government of Thailand has in the past 
     generously provided safe haven to the many Burmese forced to 
     flee the brutal repression of the SLORC regime;
       Whereas despite pressure from the SLORC, the Government of 
     Thailand has allowed Burmese democracy leaders to operate 
     within its borders, and has granted visas for international 
     travel;
       Whereas recent reports indicate that the Government of 
     Thailand has adopted more restrictive policies toward Burmese 
     refugees in Thailand;
       Whereas reports have indicated that some Rohingya refugees 
     located in Bangladesh have been returned to Burma against 
     their will; and
       Whereas the members of the Association of Southeast Asian 
     Nations (ASEAN) will meet in Bangkok, Thailand in July 1994, 
     and the SLORC has been invited to attend the opening meeting: 
     Now, therefore, be it hereby
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 
     United States Government should--
       (1) enunciate a clear and strong policy to promote 
     democracy in Burma;
       (2) strongly encourage ASEAN members at the meetings in 
     Bangkok in July to join United States efforts to--
       (A) seek the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and 
     all other political prisoners in Burma and allow them to 
     participate fully in the Burmese political process;
       (B) achieve the transfer of power to the winners of the 
     1990 democratic election;
       (C) join the arms embargo which the United States continues 
     to maintain against Burma; and
       (D) end the gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the 
     SLORC, including torture, arbitrary arrests, executions, 
     forced labor, forced relocation and the rape and trafficking 
     of women;
       (3) clearly and publicly indicate the continued opposition 
     of the United States to SLORC participation in ASEAN;
       (4) work to implement United Nations General Assembly 
     resolution 48/150, unanimously adopted on December 20, 1993, 
     and pledge to seek international sanctions through the United 
     Nations, including a multilateral arms embargo, and the 
     appointment of a special envoy to facilitate the transfer to 
     democracy in Burma;
       (5) oppose commercial arrangements that only provide 
     financial support for the SLORC;
       (6) oppose foreign aid and financial assistance from 
     international financial institutions such as the World Bank 
     and the International Monetary Fund which only provide 
     financial support for the SLORC;
       (7) encourage the Government of Thailand to allow Burmese 
     political leaders and refugees, including the Karen, Mon, and 
     Karenni, and other ethnic groups, to continue their efforts 
     to bring democratic change to Burma without fear of 
     harassment or other pressure;
       (8) continue the current United States policy of not 
     sending an ambassador to Rangoon until such time as the SLORC 
     has taken concrete steps to end human rights abuses and 
     transfer power to the democratically elected leaders of 
     Burma; and
       (9) investigate claims of forced repatriation of Rohingya 
     refugees and encourage adequate monitoring to prevent Burmese 
     refugees from being repatriated against their will.

  Mr. MOYNIHAN: Madam President, for 5 years now, Members of Congress 
have joined in candid opposition to the brutal military junta of Burma 
known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council [SLORC]. The 
resolution before us today, Senate Resolution 234, is no exception.
  Two important events are fast approaching: Nobel Peace Prize winner, 
Aung San Suu Kyi will mark her fifth year under house arrest in Burma 
next week, and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations [ASEAN] will convene in Bangkok for their annual meetings. 
These two events should give the United States Government an 
opportunity to demonstrate our many concerns regarding the situation in 
Burma.
  As you know, Madam President, in 1988 the Burmese people took to the 
streets of Rangoon, and elsewhere, demanding democracy for their 
country. Sadly, government forces turned peaceful protests into violent 
tragedy. In September, troops were called upon to silence protestors 
and thousands of unarmed demonstrators were killed. The name of the 
country and of the government were changed, but in fact, both were much 
the same.
  Since then, the SLORC has earned its reputation as one of the worst 
violators of human rights in the world. The Department of State and 
numerous human rights organizations have documented this. The SLORC 
seeks to hold power through violence and intimidation. In effect they 
have waged war against their own people. But the will of the Burmese 
people can not be squelched. As they continue their fight for 
democracy, support from the international community remains steadfast.
  The SLORC came to power through violence, but they must have 
cynically imagined that a rigged election was the answer to their 
untenuous political situation, and one was scheduled for May 1990. In 
order to ensure their victory the leader of the National League for 
Democracy [NLD], Aung San Suu Kyi, was placed under house arrest. 
Despite the numerous restrictions placed on the NLD they won an 
overwhelming majority of the seats open in the parliamentary election. 
These democratically elected representatives have never been allowed to 
take office. Worse. Most have either been forced to flee the country, 
been imprisoned, or killed. The fact that 4 years have elapsed does not 
lesson its illegality. Nor does it make it acceptable. Earlier this 
week, one of the SLORC junta leaders, Gen. Khin Nyunt, pledged to meet 
with Aung San Suu Kyi, a pledge similar to one made last February. She 
has been under house arrest for 5 years now, I do not see any reason 
for further delay.
  Some may turn away declaring the situation hopeless. It is not. An 
international effort to address the serious threat the Burmese people 
face has already begun, however much more support is needed. The ASEAN 
meeting in Bangkok is an important forum for discussing such an effort. 
Several ASEAN members have been hesitant to take responsibility for the 
present situation and will likely voice their opposition to increased 
pressure. However, the United States and others should convey to those 
countries the importance we place on taking action in this matter.
  Support garnered in Bangkok can propel U.S. efforts to achieve 
consensus for effective U.N. action against the SLORC, and to win the 
release of Aung San Suu Kyi. Such action has been delayed for too long 
now. Leaders of the Burmese democracy movement have continuously called 
for an international arms embargo, the appointment of a United Nations 
special envoy, an end to international development aid for Burma--
because it is all too often used to benefit the SLORC--and the release 
of Aung San Suu Kyi. These are important issues for the international 
community to address. I hope that the administration will move 
deliberately and with greater urgency to carry them out.
  This resolution calls on the administration to encourage ASEAN 
members to seek the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and join the United 
States in efforts to bring international pressure to bear on the SLORC. 
I urge its swift adoption and I encourage the administration to make 
every effort to see to its implementation.

                          ____________________