[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 3, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S12454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, imagine living under a brutal regime 
that sends out troops to shoot and kill unarmed, innocent people in the 
streets.
  Imagine living under a regime that rewards the winner of a popular 
election not with political office, but house arrest.
  And imagine a regime that carelessly allows the bloody and bruised 
body of a Buddhist monk, whose only crime was presumably to protest on 
behalf of peace, to float down a river.
  But we don't have to use imagination, Mr. President. These horrific 
events are real. They are occurring now.
  They are actually taking place in Burma, a country ruled by an 
illegitimate military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, 
or SPDC. And since their seizure of power, the Burmese people have seen 
very little peace or development.
  The world was reminded of the SPDC's oppression recently as Burmese 
democracy activists, led by Buddhist monks, demonstrated for freedom.
  The government's reaction was brutal and barbaric, like something 
rarely seen since the end of the Cold War. They unleashed soldiers to 
fire at the unarmed demonstrators, killing untold numbers.
  No one can be sure of the exact number because of the secrecy in 
which the SPDC cloaks the entire country. Nor can we be sure how many 
activists the government has imprisoned.
  But we do know the fate of democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize 
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the winner of Burma's last free 
parliamentary elections in 1990. The SPDC has kept her under house 
arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.
  We are reminded that such tyranny still exists in the 21st century. 
This despotic regime does not even pretend to seek to adhere to basic 
standards of human dignity.
  The SPDC's reign of terror is so complete that even simply turning 
off the television set is an act of political courage for a Burmese 
citizen.
  The AP reported yesterday that people in Rangoon are switching off 
the first 15 minutes of the government-run nightly news broadcast. It 
is one of the last acts of protest they have left, after the uniformed 
thugs and the barbed wire barricades have taken over the 
streets. ``This is the least dangerous anti-government activity that I 
can take,'' the AP quoted one Rangoon woman, who was too afraid to 
reveal her name, as saying. ``By doing this, I am showing that I am not 
listening to what the government is saying.''

  This Senate shares her contempt for the SPDC's empty words. Listen to 
how one SPDC ambassador explained events in Burma since the crackdown:
  ``As all are aware, things have calmed down. We are able to bring 
normalization to the situation.''
  Such a description, Mr. President, reminds me of the ancient Roman 
dictum, ``They made a desert, and then called it peace.''
  Just because the protests have been ruthlessly suppressed, and Burma 
is fading from the pages of Western newspapers, does not mean the value 
of Burma's pro-democracy cause has diminished.
  On the contrary, now more than ever, America and our allies must 
continue to press the members of the U.N. Security Council for a strong 
resolution against the Burmese regime.
  And here in Washington, DC we're going to leave our televisions 
turned on, and continue to help in any way we can to support these 
brave people's cries for freedom.
  I yield the floor.

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