[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 12 (Thursday, January 26, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S82-S83]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to briefly discuss a trip I took 
recently to a country that for much of the past 50 years has ranked 
among the world's most isolated and oppressed by its own government. 
Many of us wondered if things would ever change in Burma, but after my 
recent visit I am pleased to say that change is clearly in the air. It 
appears that Burma has made some progress toward democracy in the past 
6 months--made more than it has in the last decade. As one who has 
taken a strong interest in Burma for over 20 years and as the lead 
author in this Chamber of an annual sanctions bill aimed at encouraging 
the Burmese Government to reform, I can tell you this is welcome news.
  On this trip I had the opportunity and privilege to meet with a woman 
who for over two decades has embodied the struggle for peace in her 
oppressed country. After Aung San Suu Kyi's political party won 80 
percent of the vote in a free and fair election back in 1995, the 
Burmese military regime dismissed the results and kept her under house 
arrest for the last 22 years--most of the time for the last 22 years 
confined at home. Scores of other political reformers during that 
period were jailed or tortured, and the regime waged a brutal campaign 
against ethnic minorities, driving many of them out of their homes and 
into refugee camps. But by her courage and her patience that justice 
delayed would not be justice denied, Aung San Suu Kyi has kept the hope 
of freedom in her country alive. I have long admired her from afar. She 
once took a great risk to smuggle out of Burma a letter thanking me for 
my support, a letter I have proudly kept to this day. But never did I 
think I would get to meet the Nobel laureate in person. It was quite a 
moment.
  Following an election in 2010 that was widely thought to be unfree 
and unfair, the new civilian government in Burma, to the surprise of 
many of us, has made undeniably positive steps toward reform. In 
addition to releasing Suu Kyi from house arrest, scores of other 
political prisoners have been freed. During my visit last week, I spoke 
with two who had just been released days before my arrival.
  One of the longest standing armed conflicts in the world--the Burmese 
Government's campaign against the ethnic minority called the Karen--has 
apparently been brought to a close. Many Karen people who fled Burma 
now call Kentucky home. I had the chance to meet with many of them and 
other refugees from Burma, now resettled in Kentucky, at Louisville's 
Crescent Hill Baptist Church this past Saturday. I enjoyed meeting with 
those folks and was pleased to relay to them the same message I share 
with my colleagues today that change is indeed in the air in their 
country.
  Because of all of these positive developments, I applaud Secretary 
Clinton's recent decision to exchange ambassadors with Burma for the 
first time in 20 years. Of course, the Government of Burma still has a 
substantial way to go

[[Page S83]]

to achieve real and lasting reform. I would not support and I do not 
think the administration would support lifting the sanctions that have 
been imposed unless there is much further progress.
  The next steps will be elections to fill 48 seats of the national 
parliament on April 1. Suu Kyi intends to run as the representative of 
the district with a significant Karen population. This election will 
give the new government an opportunity to hold the first free and fair 
elections in Burma since 1990. It also demonstrates the seriousness of 
its recent reform efforts. The government must also fully and 
peacefully reconcile with Burma's ethnic minorities. This is vital. 
Reports indicate that the military continues to engage in hostilities 
with the Kachin. That is certainly troubling. And questions about 
Burma's relationship with North Korea must be answered.
  As the new government enacts reforms, we should respond with 
meaningful gestures of our own in the hopes of encouraging further 
positive developments from Burma's leaders. Reformers such as new 
President Thein Sein, whom I also met on my trip, are strengthened when 
they can show positive results. Steps such as exchanging ambassadors 
with the United States would enable them to do just that.
  My trip to Burma has filled me with hope for its people, hope that 
they will one day be free to elect their own leaders and hope that 
every person regardless of the ethnic group can enjoy equal rights and 
full protection under the rule of law. It also reaffirmed for me that 
the desire to be free is absolutely universal and that the patient yet 
persistent leadership of one woman can make a tremendous difference.
  These are indeed exciting times for all who care about the future of 
the people of Burma. I know that includes a great many of my colleagues 
here in the Senate. Burma has quite a long way to go, but it is 
certainly moving in the right direction.

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