[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 10, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7600-S7601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   BURMESE FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I strongly support the Burmese Freedom and 
Democracy Act of 2002, introduced by Senator McConnell and Senator 
Feinstein. This legislation seeks to pressure the military junta in 
Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi and help bring democracy and human 
rights to Burma.
  Several days last week, Senator McConnell came to the floor to speak 
on this issue. I want to commend him for his steadfast leadership, and 
associate myself with his remarks. I have also joined as an original 
cosponsor of this legislation.
  The message that we are sending to the ruling junta in Burma is 
clear: Its behavior is outrageous. Aung San Suu Kyi is the rightful, 
democratically elected leader of Burma. She and her fellow opposition 
leaders must be immediately released. This legislation also sends a 
clear signal to the administration, ASEAN members, and the 
international community that we need to turn up the heat on this 
illegitimate regime.
  The efforts of Senators McConnell and Feinstein are already having an 
impact. On June 5, 2003, the State Department issued a strong statement 
on this matter, which reads:

       The continued detention in isolation of Aung San Suu Kyi 
     and other members of her political party is outrageous and 
     unacceptable. We call on the SPDC to release them 
     immediately, and to provide all necessary medical attention 
     to those who have been injured, including assistance from 
     international specialists. The offices of the National League 
     for Democracy closed by the SPDC should be reopened without 
     delay and their activities no longer proscribed.

  But we all know that U.S. actions can only go so far. Bringing 
democracy and human rights to Burma will require active pressure from 
its neighbors in Southeast Asia, particularly

[[Page S7601]]

Thailand, Japan, and China. It will require these and other nations to 
disavow the failed policies of engagement. these policies simply have 
not worked.
  I am pleased to see that the McConnell-Feinstein legislation attempts 
to trigger a process that will ratchet up the regional pressure on the 
Burmese Government. I am also glad to see that the United States has 
demarched every government in Southeast Asia on this issue.
  In closing, I want to highlight the fact that the U.N. Envoy, Razali 
Ismail, was finally able to see Aung San Suu Kyi. According to CNN, Mr. 
Ismail said that she shows no signs of injury following clashes with a 
pro-government group. His exact words were ``she did not have a scratch 
on her and was feisty as usual.'' That is indeed good.
  I was also glad to see Mr. Ismail call on the members of ASEAN to 
drop the organization's policy of nonintervention. He stated: ``ASEAN 
has to break through the straitjacket and start dealing with this 
issue. . . . The situation in Burma can only be changed if regional 
actors take their positions to act on it.''
  I agree. The international community has a responsibility to act 
together to pressure the SPDC. The time for appeasement is over.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I rise today to condemn the ongoing 
repression of the democracy movement in Burma. This latest crackdown 
has included the rearrest and injury of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and brutal 
attacks on her supporters. Burma's regime has ignored the basic human 
rights of its citizens and is intent only on preserving its own brutal 
grip on power.
  Since last May, the international community has significantly 
decreased pressure on Burma's regime. During that time, we have seen 
only increased abuses. The numbers are staggering: Burma's regime has 
forcibly conscripted 70,000 child soldiers, far more than any other 
country in the world. The regime has tortured and locked up 1,400 
political prisoners. Even worse, the regime has borrowed a tactic from 
the Bosnian war by using rape as a weapon of war, heaping misery on 
countless women and girls.
  Clearly, the United States and the international community must more 
actively address the situation and Burma and take available steps to 
prevent further violence against those seeking desired democratic 
reform.
  As my colleague from Kentucky Senator McConnell has stated forcefully 
and eloquently over the last two weeks, the United States must provide 
international leadership. Next week, Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin 
Shinawatra will be visiting Washington, DC to meet with the President 
and other senior government officials. This meeting would provide an 
ideal opportunity to urge the Prime Minister to make every effort to 
formulate a policy to help bring about positive change in Burma.
  I say to the people of Burma that the people of the United States 
support you and share your values. We admire your courage, and commend 
your bravery. We will continue to support your struggle, as long as 
this oppressive regime remains in power.
  The United States has a long history of supporting democratic change 
and condemning regimes that repress and disregard the will of the 
people. This most recent attack on democratic reformers in Burma only 
underscores the need for the U.S. to be vigilant in voicing strong 
disapproval with the actions of the current regime, and assist the 
legitimately elected leaders of Burma to bring much needed democratic 
reform and respect for universally recognized human rights to the 
people of Burma.

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