[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14419-14420]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in recent weeks the plight of the 
Rohingya has received great international attention. Even in the best 
of times, this beleaguered ethnic minority has eked out a marginal 
existence in Burma's Rakhine State. The Rohingya are stateless and have 
faced discrimination and isolation. Media reports indicate that their 
existence has gotten much worse over the past several weeks.
  I am deeply troubled by the humanitarian situation along the Burmese-
Bangladesh border and the violence in the Rakhine State must stop. But 
as I stated earlier this week, in my view, publicly condemning Aung San 
Suu Kyi--the best hope for democratic reform in Burma--is simply not 
constructive.
  Yesterday I had a chance to speak with Suu Kyi on the phone. I would 
emphasize that she is the same person she was before. Her position in 
the Burmese Government is an exceedingly difficult one; she is State 
Counsellor. But, by law, her civilian government has virtually no 
authority over the Burmese military. According to the Burmese 
Constitution, the Army is essentially autonomous, and it has control on 
the ground of the Rohingya situation.
  Unfounded criticism of Suu Kyi exaggerates her ability to command the 
military, which the Burmese Constitution does not actually allow her to 
do, and the political evolution of representative government in that 
country is certainly not over. She must work--and is working--to 
promote peace and reconciliation within her national context. But 
Burma's path toward a democratic government is not yet complete, and it 
will not miraculously occur overnight.
  I would like to report to the Senate that during our call, Daw Suu 
agreed with the need for immediate and improved access of humanitarian 
assistance to the region, particularly by the International Red Cross, 
and she conveyed that she is working toward that end. She reiterated 
her view of the universality of human dignity and the pressing need to 
pursue peace and reconciliation among the communities in Rakhine State.
  Daw Suu emphasized to me that violations of human rights will need to 
be addressed. Moreover, she stressed that the situation in the Rakhine 
State is a protracted, longstanding problem and that she is trying very 
hard to improve conditions. We will soon receive a follow-on briefing 
from her office.
  Right now, the most important thing is for the violence of the 
Rakhine State to stop and to try to ensure the rapid flow of 
humanitarian aid through both Burma and Bangladesh to the affected 
areas to help the Rohingyan refugees and internally displaced persons. 
That is where our focus should be.
  Burma's path to representative government is not at all certain, and 
it certainly is not over. Attacking the

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single political leader who has worked to further democracy within 
Burma is likely to hinder that objective over the long run.

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