[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 25592-25593]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, there is disheartening news coming out 
of Burma this morning. Last night, following yet another day of massive 
peaceful protests demanding political reform in Burma, the repressive 
Burmese regime imposed a nighttime curfew and banned all public 
gatherings of more than five people. Despite this brazen effort to 
muzzle freedom of expression, reports indicate that thousands of 
Buddhist monks and other protestors courageously defied the prohibition 
on public assembly and marched again in Rangoon. In response, reports 
indicate that the security forces of the State Peace and Development 
Council responded with typical brutality, beating and arresting scores 
of these brave protestors. It was reported that one person was shot to 
death and five received gunshot injuries.
  Back in 1988, the regime responded to similar peaceful protests by 
massacring thousands of its own citizens. But the Burmese regime should 
know that things have changed in the intervening years. Modern 
technology has permitted photographs of those heroic protesters to be 
transmitted via the Internet around the entire world. Whereas before 
the news could be easily muzzled by the junta, today that is no longer 
the case. The world is watching, and any brutal steps taken in Rangoon 
are instantly made known in places such as New York, New Delhi, and 
Beijing. These moving images of heroism have certainly reached us here 
in Washington, DC.
  As I have said before to the regime in Burma, we are watching you. To 
the people of Burma, we stand with you.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, would the Republican leader yield for a 
question?
  I want to ask a question based on the Senator's statement. First, I 
commend the Republican leader for his statement on the situation in 
Burma. It is my understanding now that we anticipate this military 
junta is likely to engage in repressive tactics against the Buddhist 
monks and the people of this country. I thank the leader for his 
statements because I think they validate our mutual concern that first 
an election, which came up with a good result, finally be implemented 
so the people of Burma have a representative government and that those 
political dissidents--most notably, Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi--be 
released from house arrest. She has suffered enough.
  I thank the Senator for bringing this up to the floor. I want him to 
know his sentiments are felt on both sides of the aisle.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if I may just add, my friend from 
Illinois is absolutely correct. This is a regime which I have been 
following for a long time, having introduced the first Burma sanctions 
bill some 4 to 5 years ago.
  He is absolutely right. They engaged in this kind of activity back in 
1988, killed a significant number of Burmese citizens simply seeking to 
have an opportunity to express themselves, which they subsequently did 
in the 1990 election, which Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League 
for Democracy won overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly, after which she was 
placed under house arrest and has been there virtually the entire time 
since then, since 1990. She was under house arrest while her husband 
passed away in London.
  This is a pariah regime. Had they had nuclear weapons, I think the 
rest of the world would have been a lot more interested in this regime, 
as we have been, for example, in North Korea and in Iran. But they are 
now revealing their true colors once again. Technology is much better 
today than it was back in 1988. They will not be able to engage in 
these kinds of abuses with no one noticing.
  I commend my friend from Illinois for making clear that all of us 
here in the Senate, regardless of party affiliation, condemn this 
behavior and look forward to the day when the election of 1990 is 
finally honored.
  I yield the floor.

[[Page 25593]]



                          ____________________