[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5842-5843]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               THE ONGOING PLIGHT OF THE PEOPLE OF BURMA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to draw attention to the ongoing 
plight of the people of Burma, now referred to as Myanmar. Shortly 
after the Second World War, Burma was granted its independence from 
Great Britain. With democratic institutions in place, rich natural 
resources and an educated population, it was expected that Burma would 
become a wealthy, stable and free country. Sadly, that country, with so 
much potential, has been dominated by corrupt tyrants. And despite its 
vast natural wealth, its people suffer in abject poverty.
  Even worse, the people of Burma are actually losing their country to 
a foreign power. A Chinese power grab is not only depleting and 
stealing Burma's natural resources, but slowly and surely, Burma is 
being turned into a subservient province of Beijing. China is literally 
stealing Burma from its own people, and it is accomplishing this 
monumental crime with the assistance of Burmese Government officials 
whose lust for power is greater than any loyalty to their own national 
homeland.
  The patriots and freedom-loving people of Burma will either join 
against tyranny and foreign domination, or their country will be lost 
for generations to come. If Burma is to be saved, there needs to be 
reconciliation between the Burmans and those ethnic peoples who make up 
half of that country's population.
  In a decades-old insurgency, the ethnic fighters have been the 
primary source of opposition to Burma's iron-fisted dictatorship. Urban 
democratic leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi and other patriotic Burmans 
have been beaten down and repressed and imprisoned. These two elements 
must come together, the Burmans and the ethnic groups that are fighting 
the Burmese dictatorship. They must come together as one under a banner 
promising respect for the rights and traditions of various people, 
those various people who make up the wonderfully diverse nation of 
Burma.

                              {time}  2000

  An opposition coalition must be joined also by patriots in the 
military, professional soldiers who seek to remake their army into a 
respected defender of the nation, not a tool of corruption and foreign 
domination. It is

[[Page 5843]]

time for leaders in the army to join the people and build a new, 
prosperous and free and, yes, independent Burma.
  In the blink of an eye, Burma--Myanmar--can reclaim its sovereignty 
and can be put on the path to national reconciliation, democracy, and, 
yes, prosperity. The military in a new Burma, as our professional 
armies throughout the democratic nations of the world, will be a 
respected institution, not a tool of foreign domination, repression, 
and corruption.
  The time has come to choose. Let the Burmese, the ethnic people of 
Burma, the business and military leaders who long for a legitimate and 
honest government, and all of the other patriots there, let them have 
the courage to step forward and join together and retake their country. 
The time is now.
  This is a great moment of opportunity. People of Burma, do not let 
this moment pass by. The world will celebrate with you as you recapture 
your nation. We are on your side, to the people of Burma.

                          ____________________