Two cross-party U.S. federal senators introduced a resolution Friday (Feb. 5) condemning the military coup in Burma and calling on the Burmese military to end military operations and allow elected members of Congress to resume their duties. Meanwhile, heavyweight senators from both parties urged the Biden administration to take steps to help preserve Burma’s fragile democratic transition.
Senators Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana, and Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, introduced a resolution Friday condemning the Feb. 1 military coup in Burma against the democratically elected civilian government. The resolution calls on the Burmese military to end the military campaign and “allow those elected to Congress to resume their duties unhindered.
The two senators, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have been strong supporters of democracy initiatives in Burma, calling for sanctions against senior military leaders who have committed serious human rights abuses, including ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya.
“Last November, I was pleased to see the people of Burma turn out in large numbers to vote in free, fair and credible elections. That is why I am appalled by the recent events in Burma,” said Senator Yon. “The Burmese military continues its corrupt practices that undermine political reform, cause great suffering to the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities, and remain a major obstacle to democracy.”
The senator said the cross-party resolution expresses solidarity with the Burmese people’s desire for self-determination rather than being ruled by force. He also said all democracies in the world should join the United States in condemning the “authoritarian attack.”
Meanwhile, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), senior Republican member of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Democratic leader of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s East Asia Subcommittee; and Senator John Kerry (D-N.Y.), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Markey of Massachusetts, the Democratic leader of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s East Asia Subcommittee, and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida urged the Biden Administration Friday to take several critical steps to help Burma sustain its fragile democratic transition.
In a letter to Secretary of State Blinken, the senators listed key steps the Biden administration should take on Burma, including urging the immediate release of political prisoners, journalists and members of civil society detained in connection with the military coup; imposing targeted sanctions on senior leaders of the Burmese armed forces and other military-linked individuals; working with U.S. European and Indo-Pacific allies to promote multilateral economic and diplomatic pressure; use the U.S. position on the U.N. Security Council to urge the U.N. to give prompt and serious consideration to the situation in Burma; continue to engage with Burma’s partners, particularly civil society organizations; and urge the protection of the estimated 600,000 Rohingya still living in Burma’s Rakhine State.
“Given the Burmese military’s long history of human rights abuses and suppression of democracy, there is no reason to believe that Burma’s military leadership will allow the country to return to democratic rule without strong and sustained international pressure,” the lawmakers, who are from both parties, said in the letter.
They expressed appreciation for Secretary Blinken’s leadership on this issue and stood ready to work with him in responding to this serious development in Burma.
The Burmese military staged a coup on Monday, declaring a year-long state of emergency in the country and detaining Burma’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, among others. The coup comes amid continuing tensions between the Burmese military and the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). The National League for Democracy won the November election. The military rejected the results, claiming the election was massively fraudulent.
In his first foreign policy address since taking office, President Biden said Thursday at the State Department, “There is no question that in a democracy, the military should never seek to overturn the will of the people or try to erase a credible election result. The Burmese military should relinquish the power they have seized, release the advocates, activists and officials they have captured, lift telecommunications restrictions and avoid violence. As I said earlier this week, we will work with our partners to support the restoration of democracy and the rule of law, and hold those responsible accountable to the consequences.”
Biden made his statement on the situation in Burma on the day of the military coup in the country. He said the Burmese military’s seizure of power, detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian officials, and declaration of a national emergency were a direct attack on Burma’s transition to democracy and the rule of law.
In the statement, he said, “We will work with our partners across the region and around the world to support the restoration of democracy and the rule of law and to hold accountable those who are overturning Burma’s democratic transition.”
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