IV
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 211
Commending Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the 10th anniversary of her receiving
the Nobel Peace Prize and expressing the sense of the Congress with
respect to the Government of Burma.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 2, 2001
Mr. KING (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. MCGOV-
ERN, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. PITTS, Mr. STARK, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr.
OWENS, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. EVANS, Mr.
UNDERWOOD, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. CASTLE, and Mr. CHABOT) submitted the
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Commending Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the 10th anniver-
sary of her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and express-
ing the sense of the Congress with respect to the Govern-
ment of Burma.
Whereas, since 1962, the people of Burma have lived under
a repressive military regime;
Whereas, in 1988, the people of Burma rose up in massive
pro-democracy demonstrations;
Whereas, in response to this call for change, the Burmese
military brutally suppressed these demonstrations;
•HCON 211 IH
Whereas opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was
placed under house arrest after the start of these dem-
onstrations;
Whereas, in the 1990 Burmese elections, Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi led the National League for Democracy to a land-
slide victory, winning 80 percent of the parliamentary
seats;
Whereas the ruling military regime rejected this election and
proceeded to arrest hundreds of members of the National
League for Democracy;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s freedom of speech was re-
stricted by the military regime;
Whereas in recognition of her efforts to bring democracy to
Burma, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize on October 14, 1991;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remained under unlawful
house arrest until 1995;
Whereas, even after her release, the Burmese military regime,
known as the State Peace and Development Council, has
continued to ignore the basic human rights of 45,000,000
Burmese citizens and has brutally suppressed any opposi-
tion to its authority;
Whereas, according to the State Department, the Burmese
Government has made no significant effort to stop the
practice of human trafficking, whereby thousands of peo-
ple have been sent to Thailand for the purpose of factory
and household work and for sexual exploitation;
Whereas the Burmese Government has forced civilians to
work in industrial, military, and infrastructure construc-
tion operations throughout Burma, and on a large-scale
•HCON 211 IH
basis has targeted ethnic and religious minorities for this
work;
Whereas a Department of Labor report in 2000 described the
human rights abuses of forced laborers, including beat-
ing, torture, starvation, and summary executions;
Whereas Burma significantly contributes to the worldwide
scourge of heroin and methamphetamines through large-
scale cultivation and production of these drugs;
Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency has reported that
Burma is the world’s second largest producer of opium
and opiate-based drugs;
Whereas officials in Thailand have estimated that as many as
800 million tablets of methamphetamine will be smuggled
into their country this year, contributing to the growing
methamphetamine problem in Thailand;
Whereas there are more than 5,000,000 internal refugees in
Burma;
Whereas the Burmese Government has restricted Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi’s political activities through threats and in-
timidation;
Whereas in September 2000, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was
placed under house arrest when she attempted to visit a
National League for Democracy party office on the out-
skirts of Rangoon, and again when she attempted to trav-
el by train to Mandalay;
Whereas the Burmese Government has recently allowed the
National League for Democracy to open some political of-
fices, and has released some political prisoners, although
over 1,800 such prisoners are believed to remain impris-
oned;
•HCON 211 IH
Whereas the Burmese Government has made little progress
in improving human rights conditions and opening the
way for free elections;
Whereas the Burmese Government has rejected the efforts of
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to establish a timetable for a
dialogue on national reconciliation;
Whereas the Burmese Government has continued to restrict
the political power of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the
National League for Democracy;
Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle to assert the
rights of her people has spread beyond politics and into
popular culture, as evidenced by others championing her
cause, most notably the rock group U2 in their song
‘‘Walk On’’, which is banned in Burma; and
Whereas, in the face of oppression, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
has remained an outspoken champion of democracy and
freedom: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That—
(1) the Congress commends and congratulates
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the 10th anniversary of
her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and recognizes
her remarkable contributions and tireless work to-
ward bringing peace and democracy to Burma;
(2) it is the sense of the Congress that the
President and Secretary of State should continue to
encourage the Government of Burma to restore basic
human rights to the Burmese people, to eliminate
•HCON 211 IH
the practice of human trafficking, to address the
manufacture of heroine and methamphetamines, to
continue the process of releasing political prisoners,
to recognize the results of the 1990 democratic elec-
tions, and to allow Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the
National League for Democracy to enjoy unfettered
freedom of speech and freedom of movement; and
(3) it is the sense of the Congress that Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi should be invited to address a
joint meeting of the Congress.
Æ