[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 15, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               BURMESE FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 14, 2003

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill.
  The 45 million people of Burma have lived in virtual imprisonment for 
over 40 years, when Burma's military junta first came to power. It has 
only been in the past 15 years that people around the world have come 
to learn of this great country, its ruthless and brutal dictators, and 
its celebrated freedom fighter, Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu 
Kyi.
  The Burmese military regime is notorious for its human rights 
practices. In 1988, the regime, known then as the State Law and Order 
Restoration Council (SLORC), brutally killed thousands of activists in 
a nonviolent cry for freedom and democracy. In 1990, when the people of 
Burma voted over 82 percent of the parliamentary seats to the National 
League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the junta nullified the 
elections.
  Earlier this year, the State Department condemned Burma's military 
for using rape as a weapon. Human Rights Watch has documented Burma as 
having the largest number of child soldiers than anywhere else in the 
world. The International Labor Organization has repeatedly condemned 
the military for using forced--or slave--labor.
  Three years ago, U.N. Special Envoy Razali Ismail initiated 
negotiations for a power sharing settlement between the military junta 
and the NLD. These talks have since collapsed. Burma's military junta 
has instead shown absolute contempt for the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi, and 
the negotiations process. On May 30, 2003, the regime staged a violent 
attack on Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters as they traveled in 
Northern Burma. They have shut down NLD offices, detained dozens of 
activists, closed universities, and once again imprisoned Daw Suu.
  The United States should not respond to Burma's military junta with 
appeasement, engagement, or tolerance. It is time for the United States 
to respond with action. The people of Burma have continually called for 
a nonviolent course of action in the form of stronger sanctions, which 
will directly affect the pockets of the dictators. An import ban, visa 
ban, and the freezing of assets will not only limit the money propping 
up the regime, but will also send a message to the people of Burma 
supporting their hopes for human rights and democracy. In a 1997 speech 
smuggled out of the country Aung San Suu Kyi said, ``Please use your 
liberty to promote ours.'' Let us do just that.

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