[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S447-S448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 4918. Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Young)) 
proposed an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35, resolution 
condemning the military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in 
Burma and the Tatmadaw's detention of civilian leaders, calling for an 
immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, promoting 
accountability and justice for those killed by the Tatmadaw, and 
calling for those elected to serve in parliament to resume their duties 
without impediment, and for other purposes; as follows:


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S447, February 1, 2022, in the third column, the 
following appears: TEXT OF AMENDMENTSSA 4918. Mr. MENENDEZ (for 
Mr. Cardin) proposed an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35 . . 
.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: TEXT OF 
AMENDMENTSSA 4918. Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. Cardin (for himself and 
Mr. Young)) proposed an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35 . . 
.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


       Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
     following: ``That the Senate--
       (1) supports the people of Burma in their ambition for 
     democracy, sustainable peace, and genuine ethnic and 
     religious reconciliation, and the realization of 
     internationally recognized human rights for all, including 
     for ethnic and religious groups whose human rights have been 
     violated repeatedly and who have been disenfranchised 
     historically;
       (2) calls on the Tatmadaw to--
       (A) immediately and unconditionally release all political 
     prisoners detained as a result of the military coup on 
     February 1, 2021;
       (B) immediately restore all forms of communications, 
     including access to the internet without surveillance;
       (C) immediately end the use of violence and allow for a 
     legal process for accountability and justice for those 
     unlawfully detained, injured, and killed by the Tatmadaw;
       (D) remove all impediments to free travel that have been 
     imposed as a result of the coup;
       (E) return to power all members of the civilian government 
     elected in the November 8, 2020, elections and allow them to 
     fulfill their mandate without impediment;
       (F) allow for freedom of expression, including the right to 
     protest, peaceful assembly, press freedom, and freedom of 
     movement; and
       (G) allow unfettered reporting from local, national, and 
     international media;
       (3) calls on social media companies to suspend the accounts 
     of the Union Solidarity and Development Party and the 
     Tatmadaw that have used their platforms to spread 
     disinformation, fear, and psychological violence;
       (4) supports the use of all diplomatic, economic, and 
     development tools to ensure that vulnerable groups, including 
     ethnic and religious groups, as well as all children, youth,

[[Page S448]]

     and teachers in educational settings are safe, and schools 
     and universities are not targeted for attacks or use by the 
     Tatmadaw;
       (5) expresses grave concern for the safety and security of 
     hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons 
     (referred to in this resolution as ``IDPs'') and refugees who 
     have been displaced by the Tatmadaw and now face challenging 
     conditions in camps;
       (6) expresses grave concern for the 3,000,000 people of 
     Burma who are in need of humanitarian aid, including the 
     223,000 IDPs in Burma, of which 165,000 remain in the 
     southeast, adding to those already displaced in Rakhine, 
     Chin, Shan and Kachin states;
       (7) encourages Burma's neighboring countries, including 
     Thailand, India, and Bangladesh, to meaningfully assist 
     refugees who have fled and continue to flee the Tatmadaw;
       (8) calls on the President, the Secretary of State, and the 
     Secretary of Defense to fully implement section 7008 of the 
     Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2021 (division K of Public Law 116-260) 
     and any similar or successor law governing United States 
     foreign assistance following a coup d'etat, and to 
     immediately--
       (A) impose targeted restrictions aimed at the Tatmadaw, 
     military-owned or controlled enterprises, and those 
     responsible for the February 1, 2021, coup;
       (B) work with the international community, including at the 
     United Nations Security Council, with United States allies in 
     the region, and with the Association of Southeast Asian 
     Nations, to condemn the coup, delegitimize the junta, and 
     take steps to ensure that international economic engagement 
     in Burma does not contribute to human rights abuses and 
     benefit individuals connected to the coup;
       (C) support conditionality on diplomatic, economic, and 
     security relations with Burma, including using the voice and 
     vote of the United States at multilateral development 
     institutions, until all those detained in the February 1, 
     2021, coup are released and there has been a full restoration 
     of civilian-controlled parliament respecting the November 8, 
     2020, election results;
       (D) utilize the United States Government's position on the 
     United Nations Security Council to bring about greater 
     international cooperation in the pursuit of justice and 
     accountability in Burma;
       (E) legitimize and provide assistance to the National Unity 
     Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the 
     National Unity Consultative Council, the Civil Disobedience 
     Movement in Myanmar, and other entities promoting democracy 
     in Burma, while simultaneously denying legitimacy and 
     resources to the junta;
       (F) promote national reconciliation among the diverse 
     ethnic and religious groups in Burma;
       (G) counter support to the junta by the People's Republic 
     of China and the Russian Federation; and
       (H) secure the restoration of democracy, the establishment 
     of an inclusive and representative civilian government and a 
     reformed military reflecting the diversity of Burma and under 
     civilian control, and the enactment of constitutional, 
     political, and economic reform in Burma; and
       (9) urges the Secretary of State to swiftly conduct an 
     Interagency Process and issue a determination as to whether 
     the targeting and murder of innocent civilians by the 
     Tatmadaw during and after the February 1, 2021, coup d'etat, 
     specifically those associated with ethnic and religious 
     groups in Burma, and crimes committed by the Tatmadaw against 
     such ethnic and religious groups prior to the coup constitute 
     crimes against humanity or genocide.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 4919. Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Young)) 
proposed an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35, condemning the 
military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in Burma and the 
Tatmadaw's detention of civilian leaders, calling for an immediate and 
unconditional release of all those detained, promoting accountability 
and justice for those killed by the Tatmadaw, and calling for those 
elected to serve in parliament to resume their duties without 
impediment, and for other purposes; as follows:


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S448, February 1, 2022, in the second column, the 
following appears: SA 4919. Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. Cardin) proposed 
an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35 . . .
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: SA 4919. Mr. 
MENENDEZ (for Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Young)) proposed an 
amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35 . . .


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


        Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas, on February 1, 2021, the military of Burma (the 
     ``Tatmadaw'') and its aligned Union Solidarity and 
     Development Party (USDP) conducted a military coup against 
     the civilian government hours before Parliament was to 
     convene in a new session, resulting in the military junta 
     illegally detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, 
     President Win Myint, and members of Parliament, as well as 
     pro-democracy activists from the 88 Generation and other 
     civil society leaders;
       Whereas, since February 1, 2021, the Tatmadaw has detained 
     more than 11,000 people for exercising their rights of 
     freedom of speech and assembly and killed more than 1,400 
     civilians, including children;
       Whereas the Tatmadaw has put the democratically-elected 
     civilian leadership of Burma, including President Win Myint 
     and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, through sham trials 
     for fabricated crimes and sentenced them to lengthy prison 
     terms in order to remove them from political competition;
       Whereas the Tatmadaw has become the world's second largest 
     detainer of journalists, with over 100 journalists imprisoned 
     since the military coup;
       Whereas the Tatmadaw's actions have driven hundreds of 
     thousands from their homes and driven thousands to flee 
     across Burma's borders into Thailand, India, and Bangladesh;
       Whereas fighting between the Tatmadaw and several ethnic 
     armed groups continues, with government forces committing 
     increased abuses against ethnic Karen, Kayah, Kachin, Chin, 
     Rakhine, Shan, and Rohingya minority populations;
       Whereas the Tatmadaw restricted freedom of movement, 
     telecommunications, and the media, limiting access to 
     information to and from Burma during a political and public 
     health crisis;
       Whereas senior generals of the Tatmadaw have been 
     sanctioned by the United States Government for serious human 
     rights abuses and for their role in the coup and are subject 
     to ongoing investigations into their conduct by the 
     International Criminal Court and the International Court of 
     Justice;
       Whereas, on January 28, 2021, the Union Election Commission 
     rejected allegations by the Tatmadaw that fraud played a 
     significant role in determining the outcome of the November 
     2020 elections;
       Whereas Burma's November 8, 2020, elections resulted in the 
     National League for Democracy party securing enough seats in 
     Parliament to form the next government;
       Whereas the Tatmadaw has a long history of committing 
     atrocities against the people of Burma, including the 
     targeting of specific ethnic groups; and
       Whereas senior United States officials have committed to 
     making a determination of whether such atrocities constitute 
     genocide: Now, therefore, be it
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 4920. Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Young)) 
proposed an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35, resolution 
condemning the military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in 
Burma and the Tatmadaw's detention of civilian leaders, calling for an 
immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, promoting 
accountability and justice for those killed by the Tatmadaw, and 
calling for those elected to serve in parliament to resume their duties 
without impediment, and for other purposes; as follows:


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S448, February 1, 2022, in the third column, the 
following appears: SA 4920. Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. Cardin) proposed 
an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35 . . .
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: SA 4920. Mr. 
MENENDEZ (for Mr. Cardin (for himself and Mr. Young)) proposed an 
amendment to the resolution S. Res. 35 


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


       Amend the title so as to read: ``A resolution condemning 
     the military coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in 
     Burma and the Tatmadaw's detention of civilian leaders, 
     calling for an immediate and unconditional release of all 
     those detained, promoting accountability and justice for 
     those killed by the Tatmadaw, and calling for those elected 
     to serve in parliament to resume their duties without 
     impediment, and for other purposes.''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 4921. Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mrs. Shaheen) proposed an amendment to the 
resolution S. Res. 345, expressing the sense of the Senate on the 
political situation in Belarus; as follows:

       On page 13, strike lines 1 through 8, and insert the 
     following:
       (7) calls for the unconditional release of all political 
     prisoners and journalists detained on dubious charges, 
     including opposition candidates Sergei Tikhanovsky and Viktar 
     Babaryka, pro-democracy activist Maria Kalesnikava, and Radio 
     Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists Ihar Losik, Aleh 
     Hruzdzilovich, and Andrey Kuznechyk;
       On page 14, lines 8 and 9, strike ``consider all economic, 
     political, and diplomatic tools'' and insert ``consider 
     further tools''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 4922. Mr. MENENDEZ (for Mr. Ossoff) proposed an amendment to the 
resolution S. Res. 496, congratulating the University of Georgia 
Bulldogs football team for winning the 2022 National Collegiate 
Athletic Association College Football Playoff National Championship; as 
follows:

        Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
     following: ``That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the University of Georgia Bulldogs 
     football team for a great season and winning the 2022 
     National Collegiate Athletic Association College Football 
     Playoff National Championship game;
       (2) recognizes the achievements of all players, coaches, 
     and staff who contributed to the championship season; and
       (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to--
       (A) the President of the University of Georgia, Jere 
     Morehead;
       (B) the Athletic Director of the University of Georgia, 
     Josh Brooks; and
       (C) the Head Coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs 
     football team, Kirby Smart.

                          ____________________