[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 128 (Saturday, August 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1753-E1754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      INDIAN HELICOPTERS FOR BURMA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of Pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 3, 2007

  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I was deeply disturbed to read a recently 
released report, by European Union non-governmental organizations, 
entitled Indian Helicopters for Burma: making a mockery of embargoes? 
The report provided details on India's negotiations with Burma's 
military junta since late 2006 and focused on the transfer of Advanced 
Light Helicopters (ALH) to Burma's military. India, the world's largest 
democracy, has increasingly spurned democracy supporters in Burma in 
favor of increased cooperation with Burma's military regime, even 
providing Burma's ruling generals with tanks, aircraft, artillery guns, 
radar, small arms, and the ALH. Absent any external enemy, Burma's 
military rulers have employed these arms and military equipment against 
its ethnic minority civilian population, resulting in the destruction 
of more than 3,000 villages, the use of forced labor, and the rape and 
murder of thousands of ethnic minority civilians.
  Even more appalling than the increased military cooperation and sales 
between the Government of India and Burma's military regime is evidence 
that the transfer of military hardware risks violating both European 
Union and U.S. arms restrictions in place against Burma's military 
regime. Parts and technologies vital to the manufacture of the ALH were 
provided by several European companies and two American companies, 
Aitech Systems, Ltd. and Lord Corporation. It is essential that our 
government immediately investigate whether or not the inclusion of 
American parts and technologies in the production of India's ALHs and 
the potential impending transfer of the ALHs from the Government of 
India to Burma's brutal military generals violate U.S. export control 
regulations and the U.S. arms embargo on Burma.
  The brutality of Burma's generals towards its own people continues to 
increase. It is obvious to all familiar with the regime's use of forced 
labor, its systematic use of rape as a weapon of war, its destruction 
of villages and livelihoods in its efforts to ethnically cleanse Burma 
of all its ethnic minorities, that the purchase of these military 
helicopters is for one purpose and one purpose only--strengthening and 
increasing military attacks against ethnic minority civilians. Already 
humanitarian aid groups operating in Eastern Burma have noticed a 
number of areas in which helicopter landing pads are appearing, a sight 
very new to the landscape of ethnic minority territory. These landing 
pads will give Burmese generals the ability to transport soldiers 
quickly and easily into areas where civilians are fleeing. The ethnic 
minorities fear that the regime plans to increase its attacks against 
them.
  The U.S. government must take immediate steps to implement the 
recommendations outlined in the newly released report, including,

[[Page E1754]]

but not limited to, commencing negotiations with the Government of 
India to cease the transfer of Advanced Light Helicopters to Burma's 
military regime; discontinuing all future defense production 
cooperation with India that might lead to transfers of embargoed 
controlled equipment to Burma; attaching to all future licenses for 
transfers of controlled goods and technology to India a strict and 
enforceable condition, with penalty clauses prohibiting re-export to 
states under an embargo to which the original exporting state is party 
without express governmental permission; and drawing attention to the 
high likelihood of that military equipment being used by Burma's 
military to commit ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in 
violation of international law including international human rights and 
humanitarian law.

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