[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 153 (Thursday, November 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S13148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FREEDOM IN ASIA AND BURMA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to commend 
President Bush for his superb remarks regarding freedom and democracy 
in Asia. It is fitting that these comments were made in Japan, a key 
strategic ally of the United States.
  I will not recount the entire speech--which I encourage all my 
colleagues to read--but will highlight two paragraphs. The President 
said:

       Unlike China, some Asian nations still have not taken even 
     the first steps toward freedom. These regimes understand that 
     economic liberty and political liberty go hand in hand, and 
     they refuse to open up at all. The ruling parties in these 
     countries have managed to hold onto power. The price of their 
     refusal to open up is isolation, backwardness, and brutality. 
     By closing the door to freedom, they create misery at home 
     and sow instability abroad. These nations represent Asia's 
     past, not its future.
       We see that lack of freedom in Burma--a nation that should 
     be one of the most prosperous and successful in Asia but is 
     instead one of the region's poorest. Fifteen years ago, the 
     Burmese people cast their ballots--and they chose democracy. 
     The government responded by jailing the leader of the pro-
     democracy majority. The result is that a country rich in 
     human talent and natural resources is a place where millions 
     struggle simply to stay alive. The abuses by the Burmese 
     military are widespread, and include rape, and torture, and 
     execution, and forced relocation. Forced labor, trafficking 
     in persons, and use of child soldiers, and religious 
     discrimination are all too common. The people of Burma live 
     in the darkness of tyranny--but the light of freedom shines 
     in their hearts. They want their liberty--and one day, they 
     will have it.

  These words should ring loudly and clearly throughout the region. I 
commend President Bush for these comments and for the solid leadership 
he provides in supporting freedom in Burma. Moreover, I applaud the 
efforts made by President Bush and Secretary Rice to put Burma on the 
U.N. Security Council's agenda.

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