IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 328

Expressing the sense of the Congress in recognition of the 10th anniversary

of the free and fair elections in Burma and the urgent need to improve

the democratic and human rights of the people of Burma.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 16, 2000

Mr. PORTER (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. PITTS, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. DIAZBALART, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr.

SHAYS, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. SANDERS, Mr.

HORN, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. BALDACCI, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. GUTIERREZ,

Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. STARK, Mr. OLVER, Ms. LEE, Mr.

WAXMAN, Mr. RUSH, and Mr. UDALL of Colorado) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress in recognition of the

10th anniversary of the free and fair elections in Burma

and the urgent need to improve the democratic and

human rights of the people of Burma.

Whereas in 1988 thousands of Burmese citizens called for a

democratic change in Burma and participated in peaceful

demonstrations to achieve this result;

Whereas these demonstrations were brutally repressed by the

Burmese military, resulting in the loss of hundreds of

lives;
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•HCON 328 IH

Whereas despite continued repression, the Burmese people

turned out in record numbers to vote in elections deemed

free and fair by international observers;

Whereas on May 27, 1990, the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won more

than 60 percent of the popular vote and 80 percent of

the parliamentary seats in the elections;

Whereas the Burmese military rejected the results of the elections, placed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of

members of the NLD under arrest, pressured members

of the NLD to resign, and severely restricted freedom of

assembly, speech, and the press;

Whereas 48,000,000 people in Burma continue to suffer

gross violations of human rights, including the right to

democracy, and economic deprivation under a military regime known as the State Peace and Development Council

(SPDC);

Whereas on September 16, 1998, the members of the NLD

and other political parties who won the 1990 elections

joined together to form the Committee Representing the

People’s Parliament (CRPP) as an interim mechanism to

address human rights, economic and other conditions,

and provide representation of the political views and voice

of Members of Parliament elected to but denied office in

1990;

Whereas the United Nations General Assembly and Commission on Human Rights have condemned in nine consecutive resolutions the persecution of religious and ethnic

minorities and the political opposition, and SPDC’s

record of forced labor, exploitation, and sexual violence

against women;
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•HCON 328 IH

Whereas the United States and the European Union Council

of Foreign Ministers have similarly condemned conditions

in Burma and officially imposed travel restrictions and

other sanctions against the SPDC;

Whereas in May 1999, the International Labor Organization

(ILO) condemned the SPDC for inflicting forced labor on

the people and has banned the SPDC from participating

in any ILO meetings;

Whereas the 1999 Department of State Country Reports on

Human Rights Practices for Burma identifies more than

1,300 people who continue to suffer inhumane detention

conditions as political prisoners in Burma;

Whereas the Department of State International Narcotics

Control Report for 2000 determines that Burma is the

second largest world-wide source of illicit opium and heroin and that there are continuing, reliable reports that

Burmese officials are ‘‘involved in the drug business or

are paid to allow the drug business to be conducted by

others’’, conditions which pose a direct threat to United

States national security interests; and

Whereas despite these massive violations of human rights and

civil liberties and chronic economic deprivation, Daw

Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the NLD have continued to call for a peaceful political dialogue with the

SPDC to achieve a democratic transition: Now, therefore,

be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the Sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) United States policy should strongly sup4 port the restoration of democracy in Burma, includ-
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1 ing implementation of the results of the free and fair

2 elections of 1990;

3 (2) United States policy should continue to call

4 upon the military regime in Burma known as the

5 State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)—

6 (A) to guarantee freedom of assembly,

7 freedom of movement, freedom of speech, and

8 freedom of the press for all Burmese citizens;

9 (B) to immediately accept a political dia10 logue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Na11 tional League for Democracy (NLD), and eth12 nic leaders to advance peace and reconciliation

13 in Burma;

14 (C) to immediately and unconditionally re15 lease all detained Members elected to the 1990

16 parliament and other political prisoners; and

17 (D) to promptly and fully uphold the terms

18 and conditions of all human rights and related

19 resolutions passed by the United Nations Gen20 eral Assembly, the Commission on Human

21 Rights, the International Labor Organization,

22 and the European Union; and

23 (3) United States policy should sustain current

24 economic and political sanctions against Burma as

25 the appropriate means—
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1 (A) to secure the restoration of democracy,

2 human rights, and civil liberties in Burma; and

3 (B) to support United States national se4 curity counternarcotics interests.

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