[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 16, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10400-S10401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I rise to express my outrage at threats 
toward Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi made Tuesday in the 
government-controlled press in Rangoon. Completely without 
justification the press called for Aung San Suu Kyi to be deported from 
Burma. The regime has again made the ridiculous charge that Aung San 
Suu Kyi is not entitled to Burmese citizenship. This charge is made on 
the xenophobic and insulting basis that she married a foreigner. The 
regime has long tried to discredit Aung San Suu Kyi with the Burmese 
people with this type of nonsense--it hasn't worked.
  The Burmese people voted for Aung San Suu Kyi's party overwhelmingly 
in 1990--electing opposition candidates to 80 percent of the parliament 
seats. She remains the hope of a repressed people longing for democracy 
and human rights. The military regime, which used to call itself the 
SLORC, has tried to improve its image by changing its name to the State 
Peace and development Council. But it is the same regime. It has had to 
prevent Aung San Suu Kyi from speaking publicly because she was drawing 
huge crowds to the front of her home. It has had to prevent her from 
traveling freely to visit her supporters since they fear her 
popularity.
  Far from being a foreigner, Aung San Suu Kyi embodies the very 
history of Burma. She is the daughter of the founder of the Burmese 
army and the leader of Burma's independence movement, General Aung San. 
Like her father, Aung San Suu Kyi has devoted years of her life to the 
Burmese people at great personal sacrifice.
  The Burmese people strongly identify Aung San Suu Kyi with her 
father's legacy and his struggle to bring independence and ethnic unity 
to Burma. In fact, displaying pictures of General Aung San has become a 
symbolic act of defiance and show of support for the opposition. 
University students began demonstrations in 1996 and again in 1998 by 
displaying portraits of Aung San as a rallying signal. The authorities 
can't take action against those

[[Page S10401]]

displaying his picture since he is also revered by the regime as the 
nation's founder.
  The regime rightly fears the power of these symbols but their 
attempts to separate Aung San Suu Kyi from her legacy and deprive her 
of citizenship will fail. The Burmese people see through it. The people 
clearly do not want her deported.
  I urge the regime to treat this courageous woman with the respect she 
deserves and to ensure that no harm comes to her. She has stood up to 
the repressive tactics of the military regime for over 10 years now. In 
recent months, she has sacrificed her personal comfort and risked her 
health facing down the authorities. When denied the ability to travel 
freely she spent 10 days waiting in her car for the authorities to 
allow her to move. Her exceptional fortitude and her commitment to 
challenging the regime through non-violent actions are an inspiration 
to those working for human rights around the world.
  I also express my concern about recent detentions of several hundred 
of Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters. Last week, the regime reacted with 
typically heavy-handed tactics to prevent her party from convening the 
members of parliament elected in free and fair elections held in 1990. 
The regime has never allowed the parliament elected in 1990 to take 
office because the voters overwhelmingly elected opposition members. 
Aung San Suu Kyi recently called on the regime to convene the 
parliament. When that request was ignored her party decided to convene 
a ``People's Parliament'' on its own. The reaction of the military 
junta was predictable. They simply rounded up any opposition politician 
who might attend the planned events and ``detained'' them. Hundreds of 
party members are still being held.
  This outrageous tactic violates the rights of the Burmese people to 
exercise freedom of assembly and political expression. Although this 
behavior is nothing new or unexpected for this repressive regime we 
must persist in condemning it. I call on the regime to immediately 
release all opposition party members detained and to enter into genuine 
dialogue with the opposition and ethnic minority group about restoring 
democracy to Burma.
  And, again, I call on the military regime to treat Aung San Suu Kyi 
with respect as the legitimate leader of the opposition and to withdraw 
the threat of deportation and respect her rights as a Burmese citizen.
  To reiterate, Mr. President, I want to go on record. I express my 
outrage, and I think it is outrage of Democrats and Republicans, at the 
threats toward the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, made 
last Tuesday by a Government-controlled press. They are now talking 
about the possibility of deporting her from Burma.
  She is a very, very courageous woman. The people overwhelmingly 
elected her in 1990. What has happened since is that this military 
regime, which used to call itself SLORC, which has now tried to improve 
its image by calling itself the State Peace and Development Council, 
has been just full of brutal repression for the people there.
  I rise to express my concern about what is happening to this very 
courageous woman who has been trying to travel, has been trying to have 
an opportunity to speak out in her country and meet with other people. 
She spent recently 10 days just in her car trying to cross a bridge to 
meet with people, to speak with people in her own country. This regime 
really has her under house arrest.
  In addition, this past week, what happened is that many of the people 
in her party decided that they would convene a people's parliament, 
since their elections were nullified when this repressive military 
government took over. They held a meeting, and hundreds of them have 
been rounded up and are now in prison.
  I come to the floor of the Senate today to simply say that this is an 
outrageous practice of repression by this Government. I condemn it on 
the floor of the U.S. Senate. It is not always that I think I speak for 
almost every single Senator, but I believe Democrats and Republicans 
agree on this. I call on this military regime to treat this courageous 
woman with respect as a legitimate leader of the opposition and to 
release people whom they have unlawfully put in jail.
  Aung San Suu Kyi is a courageous woman. She stands for the very best 
of what our country stands for, which is respect for human rights and 
democracy. We need to speak out on the floor of the Senate, and we need 
to send a message to this repressive Government in Burma, that not only 
will we not do business with you as usual--and we are not doing that--
but we, as a Government, we as the U.S. Senate, will continue to speak 
out and condemn your actions, and we will continue to support people in 
Burma, those people who stand up for democracy and stand up for human 
rights.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________