*EPF408 06/05/2003
House Members Decry Crackdown on Democracy Advocates in Burma
(Members introduce legislation to sanction Burmese junta) (580)

By Stephen La Rocque
Washington File Staff Writer

The recent crackdown on democracy advocates in Burma has generated strong criticism for the Rangoon regime in the House of Representatives as well as legislation that, if passed, would sanction supporters and members of the junta.

Representative Joseph Pitts (Republican of Pennsylvania), one of the leading human rights advocates in the House of Representatives, called on the Rangoon regime to release detained Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and end its "dictatorship over the people of Burma" in remarks to the House June 3.

"I was shocked and deeply disturbed by events over the weekend in Burma, the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and the death of the prodemocracy activists there," said Pitts, one of the co-sponsors of H.R. 2230, proposed legislation that would sanction Burma's junta.

"The Government of Burma should release Aung San Suu Kyi and end its brutal dictatorship of the people of Burma," he added.

The Burmese government says that Suu Kyi is in what it terms protective custody, but "Burma's record of protecting its people is highly suspect," Pitts said.

The people of Burma, he added, "have suffered for too long" from that country's ruling group and from "campaigns of systematic rape, murder, forced labor, destruction of villages, food sources, and a myriad of other atrocities, including the deaths of many small children."

Pitts called on the international community and Burma's neighbors to "press the Burmese military government to recognize the fact that the people want freedom."

The regime in Rangoon, he went on, "must accept the legitimate election of the National League for Democracy."

He called on the world community to "condemn the dictatorship's actions."

Pitts urged the United States to take "deliberate, serious action to help free" both Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese people.

"To the people of Burma, we stand with them," Pitts said.

Representative Mark Kirk (Republican of Illinois) said Burma's junta has detained "many members of the National League of Democracy, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi."

The Rangoon regime has also closed all universities, added Kirk, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee.

Kirk told lawmakers that Aung San Suu Kyi "was beaten, and her whereabouts are currently unknown."

The Illinois Republican commended Secretary of State Colin Powell for speaking out against the Burmese actions, and urged fellow House members to speak out on the issue, saying the Burmese authorities are "turning back the clock on human rights."

Representative Dana Rohrabacher (Republican of California), another co-sponsor of H.R. 2330, and a member of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, said the Burmese government, which he termed "one of the most brutal dictatorships in history," has now put under arrest Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he described as "one of the true heroes of freedom on this planet."

Rohrabacher added that while the Nobel Peace Prize recipient's whereabouts are unknown, it is known that she is under arrest and that democracy activists have been "murdered and brutalized."

Rohrabacher, who has visited Burma, said the Congress "needs to be aware of what is going on in Burma, and we must warn the dictators in Burma they will not get away with the dirty deed if they have touched one hair on the head of Aung San Suu Kyi."

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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