[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2360-E2361]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              HUMAN RIGHTS

                                 ______


                          HON. BILL RICHARDSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to submit for the Record 
Ambassador Madeleine Albright's remarks on the human rights situation 
in Burma to the U.N. General Assembly Third Committee. I join 
Ambassador Albright's endorsement of the U.N. resolution to urge the 
Government of Burma to cease its violations of internationally 
recognized human rights.
  I also want to take this opportunity to commend Ambassador Albright 
for her tremendous work on this issue. I encourage all Members to 
support the work of our U.N. Representative as she relentlessly pursues 
the cause of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Ambassador 
Albright had a great meeting in Burma this fall Aung San Suu Kyi.
  Recent developments in Burma have given us cause for great concern. 
It is imperative that the governing State Law and Order Restoration 
Council understand that the United States and the international 
community will not tolerate threats or actions that suppress the 
advancement of the democratic movement in Burma.

 Statement by Ambassador Madeleine K. Albright, U.S. Representative to 
 the United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, Third Committee, 
           Human Rights Situation in Burma, December 11, 1995

       Mr. Chairman, I appreciate this opportunity to discuss my 
     Government's decision to join consensus on the resolution 
     concerning the human rights situation in Burma, despite some 
     reservations that prevented us from cosponsoring.
       The resolution reflects a tremendous effort by the Swedish 
     mission to develop a strong consensus text, and my government 
     endorses strongly the purposes and recommendations contained 
     in that text,.
       We join with the other members of this Assembly in urging 
     the Burmese Government to cease its violations of 
     internationally recognized human rights. And we urge the 
     government to begin a substantive political dialogue with 
     Aung San Suu Kyi, other democratic leaders and 
     representatives of ethnic groups concerning the future of the 
     country. These recommendations are at the heart of the 
     Assembly resolution, and we believe the Government of Burma 
     should respond favorably to them.
       The Unites States was not able to cosponsor the resolution 
     because of three issues that we believe could have been dealt 
     with more precisely or urgently.
       First, we would have tempered the language in paragraph 17, 
     which welcomes the cessation of hostilities between the 
     Government of Burma and various ethnic groups, because the 
     Burmese Army has not fully honored those ceasefires.
       Second, we believe the resolution should have included 
     language similar to that adopted by the UN Human Rights 
     Commission last spring, encouraging the Secretary-General to 
     hold discussions with the Burmese Government for the purpose 
     of stimulating progress towards democratization and national 
     reconciliation.
     
[[Page E2361]]

       Third, we believe specific mention should have been made of 
     the International Labor Organization's decision last June to 
     condemn Burma's continued use of forced labor and forced 
     porterage, especially of members of ethnic minorities, for 
     military and civilian infrastructure projects. The ILO 
     recommends, and my government strongly agrees, that Burma 
     should bring both its laws and its practices into compliance 
     with internationally recognized standards of workers' rights.
       Finally, we believe that more specific and urgent attention 
     should have been given in the resolution to important events 
     that occurred in Rangoon near the end of last month. I refer, 
     of course, to the withdrawal and subsequent expulsion from 
     the National Convention of delegates from the National League 
     for Democracy.
       The governing State Law and Order Restoration Council, or 
     SLORC, has asked the world to view the Convention as a 
     representative mechanism for drafting a new constitution and 
     facilitating a transition to democracy. Clearly, it is not 
     that if the National League for Democracy, which received 60 
     percent of the votes in the 1990 election, is not free to 
     participate openly, freely and without fear of intimidation. 
     We must remember that the SLORC handpicked all the delegates, 
     greatly under-representing those from the democratic 
     movement.
       Following the release from detention last July of Aung San 
     Suu Kyi, there were hopes that the National Convention would, 
     in fact, become a meaningful forum for discussion about 
     Burma's future. Instead, the Government has maintained its 
     habit of rigid control, and the few representatives of the 
     democratic movement and of the various ethnic groups have 
     been prohibited from voicing dissenting views.
       The SLORC has said that its goals for Burma include 
     economic prosperity and multiparty democracy. Burma's 
     democratic leaders share those goals. The General Assembly 
     should continue to express strong and unyielding support for 
     actions that would close the great divide that now exists 
     between what the SLORC professes to want and what it has thus 
     far been prepared to do.
       In this connection, my Government also wants to express its 
     very great concern about recent statements from Rangoon that 
     brand Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters as ``traitors'' and 
     speak of ``annihilating'' those who criticize the National 
     Convention. The SLORC should have no doubt that it will be 
     held responsible for any actions that result in physical harm 
     or unjust punishment against those who have simply engaged in 
     the peaceful exercise of internationally recognized rights.
       In closing, Mr. President, let me once again congratulate 
     the Swedish mission for its leadership on this resolution. 
     Let me re-state my Government's strong endorsement of its 
     core recommendations in support of human rights and a 
     substantive political dialogue. And let me re-emphasize my 
     Government's concern about recent events and its hope that 
     the Government of Burma will reconsider its policies and 
     begin now to move down a democratic path.

                          ____________________