Burma

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in recent weeks the plight of the Rohingya has received great international attention. Even in the best of times, this beleaguered ethnic minority has eked out a marginal existence in Burma's Rakhine State. The Rohingya are stateless and have faced discrimination and isolation. Media reports indicate that their existence has gotten much worse over the past several weeks.

I am deeply troubled by the humanitarian situation along the Burmese- Bangladesh border and the violence in the Rakhine State must stop. But as I stated earlier this week, in my view, publicly condemning Aung San Suu Kyi--the best hope for democratic reform in Burma--is simply not constructive.

Yesterday I had a chance to speak with Suu Kyi on the phone. I would emphasize that she is the same person she was before. Her position in the Burmese Government is an exceedingly difficult one; she is State Counsellor. But, by law, her civilian government has virtually no authority over the

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Burmese military. According to the Burmese Constitution, the Army is essentially autonomous, and it has control on the ground of the Rohingya situation.

Unfounded criticism of Suu Kyi exaggerates her ability to command the military, which the Burmese Constitution does not actually allow her to do, and the political evolution of representative government in that country is certainly not over. She must work--and is working--to promote peace and reconciliation within her national context. But Burma's path toward a democratic government is not yet complete, and it will not miraculously occur overnight.

I would like to report to the Senate that during our call, Daw Suu agreed with the need for immediate and improved access of humanitarian assistance to the region, particularly by the International Red Cross, and she conveyed that she is working toward that end. She reiterated her view of the universality of human dignity and the pressing need to pursue peace and reconciliation among the communities in Rakhine State.

Daw Suu emphasized to me that violations of human rights will need to be addressed. Moreover, she stressed that the situation in the Rakhine State is a protracted, longstanding problem and that she is trying very hard to improve conditions. We will soon receive a follow-on briefing from her office.

Right now, the most important thing is for the violence of the Rakhine State to stop and to try to ensure the rapid flow of humanitarian aid through both Burma and Bangladesh to the affected areas to help the Rohingyan refugees and internally displaced persons.

That is where our focus should be.

Burma's path to representative government is not at all certain, and it certainly is not over. Attacking the single political leader who has worked to further democracy within Burma is likely to hinder that objective over the long run.

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