[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       AWARDING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 17, 2007

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, today we award a Congressional Gold 
Medal to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in recognition of her courageous 
commitment to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and democracy in Burma.
  Mr. Speaker, the images we have seen from Burma over the past year 
have been nothing short of horrifying. Soldiers firing automatic 
weapons into unarmed crowds and the charred body of a Buddhist monk, 
slain, lying face down in a pool of water stained with blood, are just 
two examples of the oppression that continues to plague Burma.
  In the face of this horror, a hero has emerged. For close to 20 
years, Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has continued to fight for 
freedom and equality in Burma in the face of tremendous adversity. She 
has been arrested on numerous occasions, held under house arrest, and 
even had an attempt made on her life. In spite of this, Suu Kyi 
continues to speak out and to urge democracies throughout the world to 
come to Burma's aid. Her message is a simple one: ``Use your liberty to 
promote ours.''
  Today, as we award the Congressional Gold Medal to Suu Kyi, we stand 
with her to demand democratic change in Burma.
  I believe that while change will not come overnight to Burma, it will 
come. And when it does, it will be my great pleasure to join my 
colleagues in welcoming Aung San Suu Kyi to Washington so that we can 
thank her in person for her historic and courageous stand for liberty.

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