[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 193 (Monday, December 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H15497-H15500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AWARDING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4286) to award a congressional gold medal to Daw Aung San 
Suu Kyi in recognition of her courageous and unwavering commitment to 
peace, nonviolence, human rights, and democracy in Burma.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4286

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds as follows:
       (1) Aung San Suu Kyi was born on June 19, 1945, in Rangoon, 
     Burma, to Aung San, commander of the Burma Independence Army, 
     and Ma Khin Kyi.
       (2) On August 15, 1988, Ms. Suu Kyi, in her first political 
     action, sent an open letter to the military controlled 
     government asking for free, open, and multi-party elections.
       (3) On September 24, 1988, the National League for 
     Democracy (NLD) was formed, with Ms. Suu Kyi as the general-
     secretary, and it was, and remains, dedicated to a policy of 
     non-violence and civil disobedience.
       (4) Ms. Suu Kyi was subsequently placed under house arrest, 
     where she remained for the next 6 years--without being 
     charged or put on trial--and has been imprisoned twice more; 
     she currently remains under house arrest.
       (5) Despite her detention, the National League for 
     Democracy won an open election with an overwhelming 82 
     percent of the vote--which the military junta nullified.
       (6) While under house arrest, she has bravely refused 
     offers to leave the country to continue to promote freedom 
     and democracy in Burma.
       (7) For her efforts on behalf of the Burmese people, she 
     has been awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 
     1990, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000, and the 
     Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
       (8) Ms. Suu Kyi continues to fight on behalf of the Burmese 
     people, even donating her $1.3 million from her Nobel Prize 
     to establish a health and education fund for Burma.
       (9) She is the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize 
     recipient, spending more than 12 of the past 17 years under 
     house arrest.
       (10) Despite an assassination attempt against her life, her 
     prolonged illegal imprisonment, the constant public 
     vilification of her character, and her inability to see her 
     children or to see her husband before his death, Ms. Suu Kyi 
     remains committed to peaceful dialogue with her captors, 
     Burma's military regime, and Burma's ethnic nationalities 
     towards bringing democracy, human rights, and national 
     reconciliation to Burma.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate

[[Page H15498]]

     shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on 
     behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate 
     design, to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in recognition of her 
     courageous and unwavering commitment to peace, nonviolence, 
     human rights, and democracy in Burma.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     (referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a 
     gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions 
     to be determined by the Secretary.

     SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of 
     the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 under such 
     regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price 
     sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 
     materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and 
     the cost of the gold medal.

     SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.

       (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this 
     Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 
     31, United States Code.
       (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 
     5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under 
     this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

       (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to 
     be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise 
     Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of 
     the medals struck pursuant to this Act.
       (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of 
     duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 3 shall be 
     deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Crowley) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of awarding Aung San Suu Kyi the 
Congressional Gold Medal.
  Mr. Speaker, since the founding of our country, this Congress has 
awarded more than 300 people and organizations the Congressional Gold 
Medal. We have bestowed this honor on those who have performed 
outstanding deeds and acts of service. Past recipients include the 
Dalai Lama, for his contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights 
and religious understanding; Elie Wiesel, one of the foremost spokesmen 
of the victims of the Holocaust; the Reverend Francis X. Quinn, pastor 
of the Church of the Guardian Angel in New York City, who risked his 
own life in persuading an armed gunman to surrender to police and free 
an elderly couple he was holding hostage; Mother Teresa of Calcutta; 
and Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

                              {time}  1445

  Like those who have received this award before, Aung San Suu Kyi 
embodies the spirit of the Congressional Gold Medal, dedicating her 
life to the cause of freedom and democracy by fighting to establish 
peace in her home country of Burma.
  Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Burma in 1945, and 2 years after her 
birth her father negotiated Burma's independence from the United 
Kingdom and was then assassinated by his rivals that very same year.
  Like father, like daughter, Ms. Suu Kyi has spent most of her life 
working to better her native country. Although Burma established 
democratic rule after becoming an independent republic in 1947, a 
military coup toppled the government in 1962, and since then the 
government has been effectively under military control.
  For more than 20 years, Ms. Suu Kyi has led the effort to end 
military rule in her country. In 1988, she helped form the National 
League for Democracy, also known as the NLD, which advocates 
nonviolence. She is currently the NLD's general secretary. In 1990, 
despite being under house arrest, she led her political party to a 
landslide victory in parliamentary elections, gaining 82 percent of the 
seats in Parliament. The military junta snubbed the will of the Burmese 
people by nullifying the results of the election and, subsequently, 
ruling with an iron fist.
  Throughout her political career, Aung San Suu Kyi has been in and out 
of house arrest, but this has only solidified her determination to 
secure democracy for the people of Burma. And, when offered the chance 
to leave the country and live in exile, she said ``no,'' choosing 
instead to stand with her fellow citizens of Burma.
  In August, her struggles and the struggles of the Burmese people were 
thrust onto the international stage when pictures of monks protesting 
the military junta were shown all over the world. Despite the junta's 
violent crackdown on dissidents, protesters have remained committed to 
peaceful protests, inspired by their rightful leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, 
who met with foreign leaders and junta officials from her home to work 
for a peaceful way forward after the bloody nationwide crackdown.
  Their efforts prompted new calls for democracy within the global 
community. The United Nations' Secretary was outspoken in calling on 
the junta to allow for democracy to take place in Burma. And First Lady 
Laura Bush continues to make public statements in support of the 
democratic movement in Burma, and we are all grateful to the First 
Lady's efforts in trying to bring about democratization within Burma; 
yet, the nation is still under military control and Aung San Suu Kyi's 
fight for democratic rule continues.
  Burma is a nation in the heart of southeast Asia. It is bordered by 
China, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh, and India. In a region that is 
working to establish firm stability, Burma is a cancer whose main 
exports are illegal drugs, diseases like HIV and AIDS, and refugees 
pouring into neighboring countries.
  The people of Burma and Southeast Asia deserve to live in a stable 
and thriving region. That is why the United States must continue to 
support efforts to establish peace and democratic rule in Burma. And it 
is my hope that by honoring Aung San Suu Kyi with the Congressional 
Gold Medal, we will continue to pressure the junta to release her and 
bring freedom and democracy to the people of Burma.
  Aung San Suu Kyi's work on behalf of the Burmese people has already 
been recognized by many on the international stage. She has won over 60 
international awards, including the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of 
Thought from the European Union, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 
the United States, and the Nobel Peace Prize. She is also the world's 
only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient, spending more than 12 of 
the last 17 years under house arrest.
  Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma are leading a courageous 
nonviolent struggle for human rights and democracy, values we share as 
Americans. Her passionate, nonviolent approach and commitment to a free 
democratic Burma has won the hearts and minds of the people of Burma 
and, I dare say, the rest of the free world. Today I believe we should 
show her and the rest of the world that she is also in the hearts and 
minds of the Members of the U.S. Congress.
  A number of my colleagues deserve special thanks for helping me bring 
this message to the floor today, including my good friend from Illinois 
(Mr. Manzullo) for working with me to make this a bipartisan measure. 
Also, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Financial Services Committee 
Chairman Barney Frank and Ranking Member Bachus deserve my thanks and 
our thanks in helping to ensure speedy consideration of the bill. 
Additionally, at the staff level, I want to thank Nien Su, Joe Pinder, 
Jonathan Obee and Greg Sheiowitz from my staff for their help.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
support this very important effort to award the Congressional Gold 
Medal to Aung San Suu Kyi. She is one of the most honorable advocates 
for democracy and human rights the world will ever know. Ms. Suu Kyi is 
the world's only Nobel Peace Prize winner to remain a political 
prisoner. Ironically, the daughter

[[Page H15499]]

of Burma's revolutionary hero is herself a captive in the very country 
that her father freed from colonial rule.
  I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleague and good friend 
from New York (Mr. Crowley) for being a leader on such an important 
matter. His drive and commitment to awarding the Congressional Gold 
Medal to Ms. Suu Kyi is not only impressive, but it is a true testament 
to his character. I am honored that he reached out to me to help drive 
this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, Burma's military junta has held Aung San Suu Kyi captive 
for most of the 18 years she has spent inside that country. In fact, 
she was placed under house arrest in 1989, after she formed the 
National League for Democracy. And even after that party won the 
decisive election in 1990, with Ms. Suu Kyi elected as Prime Minister, 
the junta continues to not recognize the election results and the fact 
that the people have spoken. Except for brief occasions, Ms. Suu Kyi 
has remained a prisoner. She even was not allowed to attend her 
husband's funeral and remains separated from her children.
  In September of this year, the Burmese people held the largest 
peaceful protests that country has seen in the past 20 years. They 
protested the poor economic decisions of the junta as well as the 
continued denial of democratic and human rights of the Burmese people. 
An estimated 100,000 people marched through Rangoon, peacefully 
demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. The world watched and hoped 
that this time the Saffron Revolution would lead to meaningful change. 
But, rather than listening to its people, the regime of Than Shwe 
turned its guns against the people, as they did in 1988. The U.N. 
Special Envoy for Human Rights reported recently that at least 31 
people were killed in September and over 1,000 people remain 
incarcerated.
  Last week, we gathered here in this House to pass a bill sponsored by 
two champions of freedom, my good friends Mr. Lantos, chairman, and Ms. 
Ros-Lehtinen, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 
The Block Burmese JADE Act of 2007 can be an important tool to add even 
more pressure to the regime to change its ways, particularly if our 
government encourages more countries to adopt similar economic 
sanctions. I note that the European Union is following a similar 
approach in response to the killings. Even Burma's immediate neighbors 
have issued strong statements condemning the massacre.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people are outraged and disgusted by the 
severe use of force on the protestors and the continued detention of 
Aung San Suu Kyi. Shortly after the protest, the Subcommittee on Asia, 
Pacific, and Global Environment, on which I serve as ranking Republican 
member, with Congressman Eni Faleomavaega as chairman, held a hearing 
on the situation in Burma. We heard dramatic testimony from experts 
within the administration and from nongovernmental organizations. All 
the witnesses agree that Burma's fall from a prosperous country to 
pariah state was a direct consequence of the dictatorship.
  So that is why we are here today, to state for the record that it is 
time the military junta recognize the will of the Burmese people, and 
of most countries of the world, and open the door for true 
reconciliation. By awarding Ms. Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal, 
we Americans send a strong message that totalitarianism in Burma needs 
to come to an end.
  I urge all Members to support H.R. 4286 so that we can voice our full 
support for Burma's first daughter and for all the people of Burma. 
This will remind the military junta of the American people's unwavering 
support for Aung San Suu Kyi. We need to pass the bill so there can be 
no mistaking our support.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as the gentleman may 
consume to my good friend, Eni Faleomavaega.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend and thank the 
gentleman from New York for his sponsorship of this important 
legislation. I also want to commend my good friend, the ranking member 
of our Asia, Pacific Subcommittee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Manzullo) for allowing bipartisanship of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 4286, a bill to award Ms. 
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal for her dedication, 
her service, and unwavering commitment and courage to stand up against 
the forces of military rule on the people of Burma. For over 10 years 
now, Ms. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been placed under house arrest by the 
military regime of Burma.
  Mr. Speaker, I will submit that there are a lot of complications here 
on the situation with Burma. Burma continues to exist under very 
difficult conditions whereby seven to eight ethnic factions are 
constantly competing for the control of that country. In fact, it was 
even so bad that even the British could not control them under their 
colonial rule. As such, the military organization now claims, and 
continues to claim, that it is the only group or organization that is 
keeping the country together and, without the military, Burma would be 
in a state of civil war.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say that that is the very heart and problem 
that we face with Burma today; the fact that there are about seven to 
eight different ethnic groups within the country that could never be 
controlled by one group. And I want to say that, as the recipient of 
the Nobel Peace Prize, Ms. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi continues to make every 
effort to work with the military regime to see the possibility of 
democracy ever to return to Burma.
  It is my sincere hope that, in the coming weeks and months, Ms. Daw 
Aung San Suu Kyi and her military counterparts will work out a 
compromise solution, hopefully, to establish a democratic form of 
government for the people of Burma.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to again commend my good friend, the gentleman 
from New York, for his authorship of this bill and, most appropriately, 
to honor this great leader Ms. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with the 
Congressional Gold Medal. I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CROWLEY. I thank once again Mr. Manzullo for his support and 
efforts in helping to bring this legislation in a bipartisan spirit to 
the floor today. I want to thank my friend again Mr. Faleomavaega for 
his comments and work as well.
  There is no question that the situation in Burma is complex. One only 
needs to read today's Washington Post to understand again the 
complexity of this in terms of the ethnic diversity within Burma. Also, 
in reading that article today, one could also understand that there's 
incredible turmoil within that country where there are more child 
soldiers than any other country today; where every day, daily, young 
boys are coerced and enslaved by conditions into becoming soldiers as 
young boys and children. There are over 2,000 political prisoners that 
we know of today in Burma. And that same article today alluded to the 
destruction of villages in Burma. Let me just point out that over 200 
ethnic minority villages have been destroyed by the military junta, 
forcing 1.5 million people to flee their homes, some to flee the 
country, in a country where rape is used as a weapon by the military 
regime against the ethnic minorities within that country, documented 
and well known.
  Aung San Suu Kyi, if she receives this award this year, will receive 
the award the same year that we just gave this to the Dalai Lama, the 
same award, the Gold Medal. She is known in Burma and throughout the 
world as the Nelson Mandela of Burma. She is known as the Gandhi of 
Burma.

                              {time}  1500

  I think it is appropriate that this year she share the limelight in 
some way with the Dalai Lama who himself has brought attention to the 
cause of the people of his own land.
  Let me close by saying just one other point about Aung San Suu Kyi 
and the sacrifices she has had to make, giving up of her personal 
freedom and opportunity to live in Great Britain, India or elsewhere. 
She has turned that down to be with her own people who are suffering to 
the point where she is not permitted to see her family members because 
of her involvement in human rights activities.

[[Page H15500]]

  In 1999, when her husband was dying, the military regime refused to 
allow him to live with her during that time. She had to spend those 
terrible days in isolation from the person she loved more than anyone 
else, her dying husband.
  It is also important to note that Aung San Suu Kyi received the Nobel 
Peace Prize. But quite frankly, that was done in 1991, a very long time 
ago; some 16 years ago she received that award. So I believe that the 
work that the administration is doing, the work that the First Lady, 
and again I want to congratulate First Lady Laura Bush for her 
continued effort to bringing light and attention to this particular 
issue, I think it is having an effect on the world. I think more of the 
world is interested in what is happening in Burma and paying attention 
to it.
  I would also like to take this time to ask our friends in India to 
play more of an active role in bringing about a constructive solution 
to the issues of Burma. And again to China, a country that I believe 
has continued to turn its face away from atrocities, no longer should 
China turn her face away from what is happening in Burma. China, India, 
Bangladesh, all of the countries in the region need to be concerned 
about what is happening in Burma today. Again, it is about what makes 
America America, standing up for those countries that stand up for 
democracy and human rights.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this legislation to the House 
floor and hope my colleagues support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Yarmuth). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4286.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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