•HRES 134 IH 
Whereas the military of Burma (hereinafter referred to as the 
‘‘Tatmadaw’’) held power in Burma between 1962 and 
2011; 
Whereas provisions in the 2008 Constitution of Burma, writ-
ten by the Tatmadaw, allocate 25 percent of parliamen-
tary seats to the Tatmadaw, conferring powers on the 
Tatmadaw that have been used to suppress basic rights, 
including freedoms of expression, assembly, and associa-
tion; 
Whereas, in 2010, Burma conducted its first election, which 
was neither free nor fair, under the new Constitution, 
and which was boycotted by the National League for De-
mocracy (NLD); 
Whereas Burma conducted elections in November 2015, in 
which the NLD came to power; 
Whereas Burma’s November 8, 2020, elections resulted in 
the NLD securing enough seats in Parliament to form 
the next government, notwithstanding the disenfranchise-
ment of more than 1,500,000 voters, mostly from ethnic 
minority communities in Kachin, Karen, Mon, Rakhine, 
Shan, and Chin states; 
Whereas the Tatmadaw conducted a coup against the civilian 
government on February 1, 2021, hours before Par-
liament was to convene in a new session; 
Whereas the Tatmadaw claimed they had evidence of par-
liamentary election fraud perpetrated by the NLD and 
Burma’s Union Election Commission, an allegation that 
contradicted the judgment of several independent election 
monitoring organizations that the electoral process and 
outcome were credible despite minor irregularities; 
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•HRES 134 IH 
Whereas the Tatmadaw has detained unlawfully State Coun-
selor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other 
leaders of the NLD, as well as prodemocracy activists 
from the 88 Generation and other civil society leaders; 
Whereas the Tatmadaw has charged State Counselor Aung 
San Suu Kyi with importing walkie-talkies illegally and 
President Win Myint with violating prohibitions on gath-
erings during the COVID–19 pandemic; 
Whereas the Tatmadaw has declared a state of emergency 
until new elections are held in one year; 
Whereas the Tatmadaw has restricted freedom of movement, 
telecommunications, and the media, limiting access to in-
formation to and from Burma during a political and pub-
lic health crisis; 
Whereas, on January 31, 2021, the Secretary-General of the 
United Nations spokesperson released the following con-
demnation of the coup, which reads, in part, ‘‘The Sec-
retary-General strongly condemns the detention of State 
Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win 
Myint and other political leaders on the eve of the open-
ing session of Myanmar’s new Parliament. He expresses 
his grave concern regarding the declaration of the trans-
fer of all legislative, executive and judicial powers to the 
military. These developments represent a serious blow to 
democratic reforms in Myanmar.’’; 
Whereas, on February 1, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, 
Jr., condemned the coup in a statement that read, in 
part, ‘‘The military’s seizure of power in Burma, the de-
tention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials, 
and the declaration of a national state of emergency are 
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•HRES 134 IH 
a direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy 
and the rule of law.’’; 
Whereas protests opposing the coup have swept Burma; 
Whereas the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 1091 
on December 13, 2018, expressing the sense of the 
House of Representatives that the atrocities committed 
against the Rohingya by the Tatmadaw and security 
forces beginning in August 2017 constituted crimes 
against humanity and genocide; and 
Whereas the United States has sanctioned Tatmadaw offi-
cials previously, including Commander in Chief Min Aung 
Hlaing, for the atrocities committed against the 
Rohingya, and the International Court of Justice is in-
vestigating the Tatmadaw’s conduct: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns the military coup that took place 
on February 1, 2021; 
(2) stands with the people of Burma in their 
ambition for sustainable peace, a genuine democ-
racy, and the realization of human rights for all, in-
cluding for ethnic minorities whose human rights 
have been violated repeatedly and who have been 
disenfranchised historically; 
(3) condemns any attacks on civilians and sup-
ports the use of all diplomatic and development tools 
to ensure that civilians are safe during conflict; 
(4) calls on the Tatmadaw to— 
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•HRES 134 IH 
(A) release all those currently detained ar-
bitrarily as a result of the February 1st coup; 
(B) restore all forms of communications, 
including internet services; 
(C) remove all impediments to free travel 
that have been imposed as a result of the coup, 
apart from legitimate travel restrictions related 
to the COVID–19 pandemic; 
(D) return to power all members of the ci-
vilian government; 
(E) allow for freedom of expression, includ-
ing the right to protest, press freedom, and 
freedom of movement; 
(F) allow unfettered reporting from local, 
national, and international media; and 
(G) refrain from mass evictions; and 
(5) calls on the President of the United States 
and the Secretary of State to— 
(A) encourage both the return to power of 
all members of the civilian government and, 
subsequently, constitutional reforms to address 
the power conferred to the Tatmadaw in Par-
liament and the disenfranchisement of ethnic 
minorities in Burma; 
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•HRES 134 IH 
(B) reinstate sanctions and impose new re-
strictions aimed at the Tatmadaw and those re-
sponsible for the February 1st coup; 
(C) work with the international partners 
and multilateral institutions, including the 
United Nations Security Council, to condemn 
the coup and enact multilateral, targeted sanc-
tions on the military, military-owned businesses, 
including the Myanmar Economic Corporation 
and Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited, and 
others connected to the coup, including an 
international arms embargo; 
(D) coordinate with international partners 
and allies, especially those with economic invest-
ments in Burma, with respect to planned eco-
nomic consequences for the coup and ensuring 
those consequences are tailored to avoid impact-
ing Burmese civilians; 
(E) ensure that targeted sanctions allow 
all necessary exemptions to permit the delivery 
of humanitarian assistance to civilians in need; 
(F) ensure that United States-based social 
media companies, including Facebook, not allow 
their platforms to be used as vehicles for 
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