3 on June 22, 2007, citing the use of detainees as porters for the armed forces and the systematic abuse and murder of both detainees and civilians; Whereas the last time the ICRC publicly denounced egregious, ongoing, and systemic human rights abuses was in 1994 when the ICRC addressed genocide in Rwanda; and Whereas the ICRC stated that civilians, especially those residing near the Thai-Burma border, have been subjected to abuse such as destruction of their food supply and forced unpaid manual labor: Now, therefore, be it 1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 2 concurring), That (1) it is the sense of Congress that United States policy should continue to call upon (A) the military regime in Burma (i) to immediately and unconditionally release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained political prisoners and prisoners of conscience; (ii) to immediately cease attacks against ethnic minority civilians; and (iii) to immediately begin a meaningful process of tripartite dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, and Bur ma's ethnic nationalities; and (B) the People's Republic of China and other countries that provide political and eco ⚫HCON 200 IH 4 nomic support to Burma's military junta to uti lize their position and influence to— (i) urge Burma's military generals to immediately release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners; and (ii) end their attacks on ethnic minority civilians and begin a meaningful process of genuine national reconciliation with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, and Burma's ethnic nationalities; (2) Congress urges the United Nations Security Council to immediately consider and take appro priate action to respond to the growing threat the SPDC poses in Burma; (3) Congress expresses support for the restora tion of democracy in Burma; and (4) Congress expresses the need for freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press to be guaranteed for all Burmese citizens. H.L.C. AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE OFFERED BY MR. LANTOS OF CALIFORNIA Strike the preamble and insert the following: Whereas in 1990, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), the military junta in Burma, which renamed itself the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in 1997, nullified the victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD); Whereas NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was not allowed to assume the office of Prime Minister and was subsequently placed under house arrest; Whereas Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released in July 1995, yet once again placed under house arrest in September 2000; Whereas following a second release, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and several of her followers were attacked by a government-sponsored mob on May 30, 2003, and she was then imprisoned at Insein Prison in Yangon; Whereas on May 16, 2007, more than 50 world leaders released a letter demanding the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a demand repeated by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 14 United Nations human rights experts, the European Union, the United States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the foreign ministers of three ASEAN member states, yet on May 27 her detention was extended; 2 H.L.C. Whereas for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991; Whereas the ruling military junta in Burma continues to violate the human rights of Burmese citizens, including the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war and extrajudicial killings; Whereas the armed forces in Burma have been accused of large-scale trafficking in heroin and methamphetamines; Whereas the Burmese regime has destroyed more than 3,000 villages, displaced approximately 2,000,000 Burmese people, and arrested approximately 1,300 individuals for expressing critical opinions; Whereas Burma's main broadcasters and publications are state controlled and the media does not report opposing views except to criticize them; Whereas on September 30, 2006, the United Nations Security Council officially included Burma on its agenda for the first time; Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) denounced the ruling military regime of Burma on June 22, 2007, citing the use of detainees as porters for the armed forces and the systematic abuse and murder of both detainees and civilians; Whereas the last time the ICRC publicly denounced egregious, ongoing, and systemic human rights abuses was in 1994 when the ICRC addressed genocide in Rwanda; Whereas the ICRC stated that civilians, especially those residing near the Thai-Burma border, have been subjected to abuse such as destruction of their food supply and 3 H.L.C. Whereas beginning on August 21, 2007, and continuing until today, the Burmese regime began a brutal crackdown on nonviolent protesters which included beating, imprisoning, and torturing more than 200 human rights and democracy activists; Whereas several of these imprisoned human rights and democracy activists are hospitalized from the injuries sustained from the severe torture to which they have been subjected; Whereas no one, including the ICRC, has had access to any of the imprisoned protesters or any other political prisoners in Burma; Whereas the Burmese regime has disrobed, imprisoned, and tortured monks; Whereas the All Burma Monks' Alliance has called for a boycott of the SPDC and the military junta-sponsored Union Solidarity and Development Association and their family members until they agree to a meaningful political dialogue toward national reconciliation; and Whereas the All Burma Monks' Alliance and the NLD have asked all the people of Burma to join them in a peaceful national strike calling for reducing all basic commodity prices, releasing all detainees, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and engaging in a meaningful political dialogue: Now, therefore, be it Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following: That |