Condemning Military Coup in Burma

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, the House has always come together to condemn human rights violations around the world, whether it is in Rwanda or Xinjiang; or as we discuss here today, in Burma.

Only 3 years ago, the House overwhelmingly passed Mr. Chabot's resolution to label the Burmese military's crimes against the Rohingya Muslim population as genocide.

Unfortunately, we are once again facing shocking violence in Burma as a pro-democracy movement pushes back against the recent military coup. Hundreds are reported dead, with many more injured. And more than 2,000 people have been arrested, simply for peacefully asking for freedom. America cannot stand idly and silently by while atrocities like this happen.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. With over 60 Republican and Democrat cosponsors, this resolution, and this issue, is truly bipartisan. I want to thank Mr. Levin for introducing this resolution.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding, and I thank the chairman for his leadership.

I would especially like to thank Mr. Levin for his resolution condemning the military coup in Burma, and calling for release of all those who have been detained, as well as restoring those elected to serve in Parliament to a position that allows them to fulfill their important duties.

I would also like to thank Mr. Connolly for his Protect Democracy in Burma Act, H.R. 1112, and the important report that it will authorize.

Mr. Speaker, 24 years ago, in 1997, I chaired my first hearing on Burmese human rights abuse, and chaired additional hearings after that, including in 1998 and 2006. I also introduced several resolutions addressing the ongoing egregious crisis, including H. Res. 1710, which decried the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, and called on the Burmese military regime to end its campaign of religious and ethnic persecution of the Rohingya people, amounting to crimes against humanity.

Thus, after decades of abuse, rape, torture, and murder, it is incredibly tragic as to how little has changed in that country.

As H. Res. 134 points out, the Burmese Government's unlawful detention of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as the crackdown on democracy advocates and the squelching of free expression and other fundamental civil and political rights, is outrageous and begs immediate reform and correction.

The United States must, and I believe will, in a bipartisan way, and with the executive branch taking the lead, do its part. Every sanction of leverage must be deployed, and we must call on all of our international partners to join us in those efforts.

The most glaring example of basic religious persecution, Mr. Speaker, is the oppression of Burma's Muslim Rohingya population. This persecution has been aided and abetted in part by religious and nationalist extremists such as the Buddhist monk Wirathu and the 969 movement.

We also see religious persecution intertwined with ethnic persecution, as in the case of the Karen, Kachin, and Shan people, many of whom are Christians. I have met many of them over the years.

Many of you have seen the riveting image of a Catholic nun, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawang, kneeling before a group of militarized police, pleading that they do not shoot the protesters. Sadly, at least two protesters lost their lives that day. But what gives us at least a glimmer of hope is that opposite Sister Ann Rose, two of the officers, who are presumably Buddhists, also got down on their knees in response that this ought to be peaceful and not violent.

It is an image which gives one some hope that the people of Burma can overcome their differences and unite for peace and justice and for the benefit of all Burmese, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished chairman and the ranking member for their leadership on this.

Mr. Speaker, the Burmese military is using brutal violence to drag Burma back into repression and isolation. We should condemn this coup with one united voice as the United States of America through its Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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