[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1597]]



         RECOGNIZING 14 YEARS OF STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM IN BURMA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 18, 2002

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember September 18th, 
1988, a day fourteen years ago that a totalitarian military regime in 
Burma brutally shot, stabbed, and tortured its way to control. The 
regime killed an estimated 10,000 innocent people who marched on the 
streets and called for democracy, including women, children, students, 
Buddhist monks, teachers and others from all walks of life.
  To this day, the 50 million people of Burma still suffer gross human 
rights abuses. According to credible organizations including the United 
Nations, U.S. State Department, and Amnesty International, the Burmese 
regime presses millions of persons into forced labor, holds over a 
thousand political prisoners, and organizes systematic, mass rapes in 
the Shan state. Evidence shows that Burma's military regime is among 
the world's most brutal.
  In fact, the regime is so fearful of its own people that it has 
established a military intelligence service to squash free thinking and 
prevent even the discussion of ideas like freedom and democracy. On 
August 17th and 18th of this year, 15 students from the Rangoon 
University and Rangoon Institute of Technology, all under age 21, were 
arrested by the regime. Thirteen were arrested simply for forming a 
literary study group without permission of the authorities. Two others, 
Thet Naung Soe and Khin Maung Win, were arrested in front of Rangoon 
City Hall for handing out leaflets calling for the realization of 
democracy. It is expected that they will be sentenced to long prison 
terms where they are likely to be in serious danger of torture.
  In July, two youth members of the rightfully elected National League 
for Democracy were arrested for possessing a secretive pro-democracy 
journal. They were beaten severely by the police and later sentenced to 
seven years imprisonment in a summary trial held in the infamous Insein 
prison.
  In July, two youth members of the rightfully elected National League 
for Democracy were arrested for possessing a secretive pro-democracy 
journal. They were beaten severely by the police and later sentenced to 
seven years imprisonment in a summary trial held in the infamous Insein 
prison.
  At the same time the regime has abused its own people, it has 
initiated an international diplomatic charm offensive to curry favor 
with the United States and other countries. The regime announced to the 
world on May 6, 2002, ``We shall recommit ourselves to allowing all of 
our citizens to participate freely in the life of our political 
process.''
  The United States should not be fooled by false propaganda of the 
regime while the people of Burma sacrifice for the freedom and 
democracy I believe in. The United States has always supported the 
struggle for freedom in Burma. Now, at this critical time, we must do 
all that is in our power to increase international pressure on this 
regime.
  1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has 
courageously held together her country's freedom movement for the past 
14 years, and she and the people of Burma deserve our ongoing support. 
Fourteen years into the struggle for freedom and Burma, I commend the 
courageous people of Burma who have never allowed their call for 
freedom to be crushed. Freedom united their cause. Courage gave it 
life. Tyranny tried to crush it. But to this day, hope inspires the 
people of Burma to continue in their struggle for democracy.

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