Block Burmese Jade (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2007

BLOCK BURMESE JADE (JUNTA'S ANTI-DEMOCRATIC EFFORTS) ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - December 11, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of this important resolution strengthening the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, and I want to thank my good friend and colleague, Chairman Lantos, for his continued leadership on this issue. It's an issue that concerns Members on both sides of the aisle and anyone who cares about freedom and human rights.

The despicable actions of Burma's brutal regime in recent months are only the latest chapter in a long history of repression by that country's dictators. After their shocking murder and incarceration 2 months ago of peaceful demonstrators, including Buddhist monks--the very symbols of the Burmese people's desire for peace--the Government thugs hope that our attention will turn elsewhere. They hope that the international outcry over the violence and humiliation of this fall will die down. But we are all too aware of the history of this regime to let that happen.

If we turn our attention elsewhere, the regime will intensify the abuse and repeat these crimes again and again. Since the 1988 slaughter of several thousand peaceful demonstrators, the story of Burma has been a constant saga of harassment, violence, and torture. The inhumane treatment of Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is only the most glaring example of the regime's efforts to stifle democracy--unfortunately there are many others that don't get as many headlines.

Members may recall that I have mentioned in the past how the military regime in Burma locked up a 19-year-old student from my district, Michelle Keegan, who had traveled to Burma in 1998 to mark in a peaceful way the 10th anniversary of those 1988 massacres. She and others were sentenced to 5 years in jail for distributing small leaflets calling for democracy in Burma.

I, and others, were outraged, and agitated for the release of these young people. They wouldn't let us into the country, but they couldn't keep us quiet. If not for the attention of the U.S. Congress and the American people--and for the international pressure that resulted--who knows what would have happened to these students in the prisons of Burma? Thankfully, we gained their release.

The Block Burmese JADE Act will tighten the noose on this murderous regime, expanding what this body has already done to isolate these criminals. Burma's junta continues to enrich itself from the country's vast natural resources while most of its people are mired in poverty. The generals and their families milk state-owned enterprises for all they're worth, getting their hands on much of the nearly $3 billion in annual revenues from oil and gas, timber and gems.

By blocking further assets, imposing more severe import restrictions on Burmese gemstones, and expanding the visa ban on the regime's cronies, we will further limit its comfort zone. The regime will be less able to avoid U.S. sanctions--and U.S. companies will no longer be able to take tax deductions for investment in Burma.

These measures alone won't bring about wholesale change in Burma. We need more help from our allies and from Burma's neighbors if we dare to hope for true freedom in that country. We need China to take a serious stand on the right side of this issue instead of remaining--as usual--lined up against human rights and human dignity.

But this strengthening of our law--this strengthening of our resolve--will take another concrete step in the right direction. It will also make an important statement to Burma's brutal dictators--and to the beleaguered pro-democracy activists in that country struggling under the yoke of military repression.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source