IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 317 
Condemning the Burmese regime’s undemocratic constitution and scheduled 
referendum. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 14, 2008 
Mr. HOLT (for himself, Mr. BERMAN, and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Condemning the Burmese regime’s undemocratic constitution 
and scheduled referendum. 
Whereas in 1974, then dictator General Ne Win and his re-
gime had redrawn the 1947 State Constitution and held 
a referendum for a military-backed constitution, endors-
ing a civilian front for military rule, known as the Bur-
mese Socialist Program Party; 
Whereas in 1988, the people of Burma came to the streets 
in a massive popular democracy uprising to call for de-
mocracy, human rights, and an end to military rule and 
a single party system; 
Whereas the current military regime violently crushed the 
mass democracy uprising in 1988, killing more than 
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•HCON 317 IH 
3,000 peaceful protesters and took over power from the 
previous regime; 
Whereas the current military regime, officially known as the 
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), known 
previously as the State Law and Order Restoration Coun-
cil (SLORC), held multi-party elections in 1990; 
Whereas despite the threat and pressure by the military re-
gime to vote for the candidates of the military-backed 
National Unity Party (NUP), the people of Burma voted 
82 percent of Parliament seats for the candidates of the 
National League for Democracy (NLD) party, led by de-
tained leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and its allied eth-
nic political parties; 
Whereas the military regime refused to honor the election re-
sults and arrested and imprisoned both democracy activ-
ists and elected members of parliament; 
Whereas the SPDC over a period of 14 years held a National 
Convention to draft a new constitution in which the proc-
ess was tightly controlled, repressive and undemocratic; 
Whereas the NLD walked out of the convention in 1995 be-
cause no one was allowed to table alternative proposals 
or voice any disagreement with the military regime; 
Whereas in 2005, the leaders of the Shan Nationalities 
League of Democracy (SNLD) were all arrested on false 
charges and sentenced to more than 90 years in prison 
each; 
Whereas the people of Burma, led by democracy activists and 
Buddhist monks in August and September 2007, took to 
the streets in nationwide peaceful protests demanding the 
military regime participate in a meaningful tri-partite 
dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected political 
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parties from the 1990 elections and the ethnic nationali-
ties representatives for national reconciliation and a tran-
sition to democracy; 
Whereas according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur 
on Human Rights Situation in Burma, Professor Paulo 
Sergio Pinheiro, leading human rights groups and foreign 
diplomats based in Burma estimate the death toll from 
the August and September 2007 peaceful protests is 
much higher than reported by the regime; 
Whereas the military regime brutally crushed the peaceful 
protests killing at least 31 people, nearly 100 are still 
missing, and arrested 700 additional political prisoners 
whereby Burma’s political prisoner population numbers 
1,800; 
Whereas the United Nations Security Council Presidential 
Statement, issued by unanimous consent of all members 
of the Council on October 11, 2007, stated that ‘‘the Se-
curity Council strongly deplores the use of violence 
against peaceful demonstrators in Myanmar, emphasizes 
the importance of the early release of all political pris-
oners and remaining detainees’’; 
Whereas the United Nations Security Council Presidential 
Statement also stressed ‘‘the need for the Government of 
Myanmar to create the necessary conditions for a genuine 
dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all concerned 
parties and ethnic groups, in order to achieve an inclusive 
national reconciliation with the direct support of the 
United Nations’’; 
Whereas the United Nations and governments around the 
world also repeatedly called for the SPDC to hold a polit-
ical dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, her party, the 
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NLD, and ethnic party representatives to achieve na-
tional reconciliation and democratization as well as to 
save the country from decades-long mismanagement by 
the regime which has resulted in a downward spiral of 
Burma’s economic, educational, social, public health and 
infrastructure sectors; 
Whereas the SPDC has ignored the repeated requests of the 
United Nations and the international community to re-
lease all political prisoners, end attacks against civilians, 
and engage in a meaningful dialogue with Aung San Suu 
Kyi, her party, the NLD, and ethnic nationality rep-
resentatives; 
Whereas at the same time, the SPDC assigned a commission 
for drafting the state constitution on October 18, 2007, 
with 54 hand-picked persons, in an attempt to cir-
cumvent legitimate democratic processes and legitimize 
continued military rule; 
Whereas the latest version of the draft constitution seeks to 
codify military rule, reserving 25 percent of parliamen-
tary seats for military appointees, reserves power to the 
head of the military to intervene in national politics, and 
reserves key government ministries to serving military of-
ficers; 
Whereas although the SPDC has appointed Labor Minister 
U Aung Kyi as liaison minister to engage with Daw 
Aung San Suu Kyi for possible talks with Senior General 
Than Shwe, leader of the SPDC, since October 2007, 
there has been no development and no hope of a mean-
ingful and time-bound dialogue; 
Whereas recently, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi expressed through 
her party leaders that she is unhappy with the SPDC’s 
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unwillingness to establish political dialogue and she even 
urged the people of Burma to be prepared for the worst; 
Whereas on February 9, 2008, the military regime announced 
that it will hold a constitutional referendum in May 2008 
and a general election in 2010; 
Whereas on February 12, 2008, the SPDC extended the 
house arrest of U Tin Oo, Deputy Chairman of the NLD 
for another year; and 
Whereas the military regime is once again trying to abolish 
the 1990 elections results and the election winning party 
status held by the NLD, and further legitimize military 
rule through an undemocratic process: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) denounces the one-sided, undemocratic, and 
illegitimate act by the State Peace and Development 
Council (SPDC) to legalize military rule with the 
constitution; 
(2) firmly insists that Burma’s military regime 
begin a meaningful tri-partite dialogue with Daw 
Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1990 election winning par-
ties and ethnic nationality representatives toward 
national reconciliation, and the full restoration of de-
mocracy, freedom of assembly, freedom of move-
ment, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and 
internationally recognized human rights for all Bur-
mese citizens; 
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•HCON 317 IH 
(3) demands the immediate and unconditional 
release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, detained Bud-
dhist monks, and all other political prisoners and 
prisoners of conscience; 
(4) denounces the SPDC for its failure to com-
ply with the United Nation’s recommendations and 
engage in a meaningful time-bound tri-partite dia-
logue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1990 election 
winning parties and ethnic nationality representa-
tives; 
(5) condemns the military regime’s constitution 
and scheduled referendum; 
(6) calls for the SPDC to comply fully and im-
mediately with the recommendations made by United 
Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari and the 
United Nations Security Council Presidential State-
ment issued on October 11, 2007; 
(7) urges the President to call for the United 
Nations Security Council to not accept or recognize 
the SPDC’s constitution which will be the outcome 
of the referendum; 
(8) urges the President to call for the United 
Nations Security Council to pass a binding resolu-
tion, which will instruct the regime to fully comply 
with the recommendations made by United Nations 
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Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari and the United Na-
tions Security Council Presidential Statement, and 
strengthen the mandate of Secretary-General Ban 
Ki-moon to engage in a meaningful and time-bound 
dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1990 
election winning parties and ethnic nationality rep-
resentatives towards an inclusive democratic national 
reconciliation; 
(9) urges the President to push for a com-
prehensive arms embargo against the Burmese mili-
tary regime at the United Nations Security Council 
so that weapons produced by foreign countries, in-
cluding Ukraine, China, and Russia, who currently 
sell weapons to Burma’s military regime, can no 
longer contribute the atrocities committed by Bur-
ma’s military regime against civilians; and 
(10) urges the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations to involve itself more deeply in reaching out 
to the Burmese democracy movement and work with 
the United Nations Security Council and the Sec-
retary-General to end junta political intransigence 
and promote meaningful political dialogue. 
Æ 
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