[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 80 (Thursday, June 16, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S6780]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI

  Mr. SALAZAR. Madam. President, I rise today to take a moment to 
recognize a woman on the occasion of her 60 birthday, a woman whose 
leadership and courage in her home country of Burma inspires the people 
of that country and the world to continue to fight for democracy and 
human rights.
  Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has devoted her life to fighting for peace in a 
country whose people live under an oppressive one-party socialist 
government known as the State Law and Restoration Council, SLORC. This 
government is responsible for the deaths of thousands of its own people 
and the unjust imprisonment of untold more. Suu Kyi remains the only 
detained Nobel Peace Laureate in the world.
  Suu Kyi was born in Burma in 1945 to General Aung San, the leader of 
the Burmese movement for independence from Great Britain. After his 
group achieved Burmese independence and took control of the government, 
he was assassinated for his democratic beliefs and practices. Suu Kyi 
left Burma and moved to India with her mother after she became the 
Burmese Ambassador to India in 1960. Although Suu Kyi was only 2 when 
her father was killed, it was his legacy that inspired her to head the 
National League for Democracy, NLD when she returned to Myanmar after 
graduating from Oxford University many years later.
  Under her leadership, the NLD won the general election in 1990 with a 
landslide victory. However, the SLORC refused to acknowledge their win 
and put the elected pro-democracy leaders under house arrest, including 
Suu Kyi.
  Although no longer in prison, Suu Kyi is not allowed to travel freely 
due to restrictions by the Burmese Government. As a result, she will 
not leave the country out of fear of being permanently exiled from her 
homeland. Her commitment to her people is so enduring that she is 
willing to forsake seeing her children who live abroad ever again.
  Suu Kyi has inspired countless other Burmese supporters and the world 
to focus global attention on this conflict. In my State of Colorado, 
for example, many people from that country have relocated to Boulder. 
One such person is former Burmese princess Inge Sargent who founded the 
Burma Lifeline. This organization funds refugee camps along the Thai 
border and works in conjunction with other groups such as the Shan 
Women Action Network. Inge Sargent was awarded the United Nations 
International Human Rights Award in 2000.
  In an effort to lend my voice to the efforts of Senator McConnell and 
Inge Sargent, I am happy have joined with 42 other Senators as a 
cosponsor of a joint resolution approving the renewal of import 
restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 
2003.
  It is because of brave women like Suu Kyi and the hundreds of people 
from Burma who have made Colorado their home that Burma has a bright 
future. Yet the struggle is far from over; these brave leaders will not 
be free until Suu Kyi's call for democracy is answered.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 174) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 174

       Whereas June 19, 2005 marks the 60th birthday of Burmese 
     democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San 
     Suu Kyi;
       Whereas Burma is misruled by the State Peace and 
     Development Council, an illegitimate, repressive military 
     junta led by General Than Shwe;
       Whereas although the main opposition party in Burma, the 
     National League for Democracy, won a landslide victory in 
     national elections in 1990, the State Peace and Development 
     Council has refused to honor the results of that election and 
     peacefully transfer power in Burma;
       Whereas the State Peace and Development Council as a matter 
     of policy carries out a campaign of violence and intimidation 
     against the people of Burma and ethnic minorities that 
     includes the use of rape, torture, and terror;
       Whereas hundreds of democracy activists, including Aung San 
     Suu Kyi who is the leader of the National League for 
     Democracy, remain imprisoned by the repressive State Peace 
     and Development Council; and
       Whereas the United States and other democratic countries 
     recognize and applaud the dedication and commitment to 
     freedom demonstrated by Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of 
     Burma: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes Burmese democracy activist and Nobel Peace 
     Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as a symbol of the spirit and 
     dedication of the people of Burma who are courageously and 
     nonviolently struggling for freedom, human rights, and 
     justice;
       (2) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of 
     Aung San Suu Kyi and all other prisoners of conscience who 
     are held by the State Peace and Development Council, the 
     illegitimate, repressive military junta in power in Burma; 
     and
       (3) strongly urges Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to 
     initiate a discussion of the repressive practices of the 
     State Peace and Development Council during the 12th 
     Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional forum and 
     post-ministerial meeting scheduled to take place in 
     Vientiane, Laos on July 29, 2005.

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