[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]
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.
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