[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 31, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Burma

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it has been 3 years since a thuggish 
military coup derailed prospects for democracy, unity, and self-
determination in Burma. The military--or Tatmadaw--has engaged in a 
ruthless, systematic war against the people of Burma. This war has 
displaced roughly 2\1/2\ million people. Last year alone, it claimed 
over 15,000 lives.
  And, of course, the junta has placed tens of thousands of innocent 
people behind bars for opposing the military regime. Right now, nearly 
2,000 members of the National League for Democracy, Burma's leading 
pro-democracy party, are being unjustly held as political prisoners, as 
are many others from all corners of Burma's society and its myriad 
ethnic groups.
  Undoubtedly, the most well-known political prisoner is my friend Aung 
San Suu Kyi. For the longtime leader of Burma's pro-democracy movement 
and for the hopes she represents, I can only imagine the 3 years of 
pain, suffering, and frustration.
  I would hope my colleagues would join me, on this third anniversary 
of the coup, in calling for the unconditional release of all political 
prisoners in Burma. In the face of sustained repression and brutal 
violence, the people of Burma continue to resist. Working together, 
increasingly across ethnic and religious lines, they continue to defy 
the heavy fist of the junta. In recent months, forces resisting the 
Tatmadaw have conducted promising counteroffensives and drawn 
significant defections from the ranks of the pro-junta military. They 
are determined to establish a new democratic Burma committed to 
coexistence, justice, and the rule of law.
  As I have said repeatedly, the world must encourage and support their 
efforts. The United States must urge more of our allies and partners to 
join in applying maximum pressure to the ruling junta, to state-owned 
enterprises like the MOGE, and to their enablers abroad.
  There is also more the Biden administration can do to help the people 
of Burma. For one, it is past time to implement the bipartisan BURMA 
Act and deploy its new authorities and resources to engage and provide 
nonlethal assistance to those struggling to resist the junta, including 
ethnic groups and organizations on the frontlines of this terrible 
conflict.
  The conflict in Burma is not just about freedom or justice. It has 
also been a boon to China and Russia. Both of our adversaries have 
armed the Tatmadaw for a healthy profit and growing influence. Beijing 
also has its eyes on critical infrastructure projects it sees as 
expanding its strategic reach into the Indian Ocean. Foremost among 
these is a $7 billion deepwater port in Rakhine State.
  I would encourage my colleagues to look at a map and consider just 
where this complicated country of more than 50 million people sits. 
Geography may not exactly be destiny, but it certainly matters. The 
outcome of the conflict will matter in the geostrategic competition 
unfolding all across Asia.
  Throughout my career, I have been proud to be a voice for my friend 
Aung San Suu Kyi and for her fellow democracy advocates in Burma. I 
have been proud to celebrate their remarkable progress and to call 
attention to their setbacks and ongoing struggle. And the American 
people should be proud that so many are willing to risk so much to 
follow their example of self-government.
  As the people of Burma begin to turn the tide of the conflict, I will 
continue to stand with them against the Tatmadaw thugs who seek to 
snuff out the bright light of their future. I hope my colleagues, the 
administration, and America's friends in the region and democratic 
countries around the world will do the same.