WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor Monday regarding Aung San Suu Kyi and the Obama administration’s recent executive order against the Burmese regime:
“I would like to briefly discuss a deeply troubling situation a world away. This situation involves Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, who this very morning stood trial merely for permitting a misguided soul to enter her house.
“With some regularity we in the West are reminded of the tyranny that exists in this troubled land. In 2007, Buddhist monks and other peaceful Burmese protesters were brutally put down by governmental authorities. Scores were slain, hundreds more were imprisoned or had to flee the country to survive.
“In 2008, Burma was lashed by a terrible Cyclone. This natural disaster was exacerbated by a man-made disaster: the dismal relief and response effort of the governing State Peace and Development Council which refused outside aid in the immediate aftermath resulting in untold numbers of Burmese citizens dying. At the same time, the regime devoted its energies to its referendum of its new constitution, a document clearly intended to permanently entrench military rule.
“In 2009, this familiar pattern of governmental malfeasance has continued. First, the government refused to permit Suu Kyi's doctor to see her, despite her poor health. Then, the government took the flimsiest of pretexts to drag Suu Kyi into this trial.
“It was in this context that the Obama administration last week issued an executive order extending for another year sanctions against the Burmese regime. I applaud the Obama administration for taking this step, and I look forward to working with the administration once it has concluded its review of Burma policy.
“The government of Burma should be aware that its actions are highly troubling to democracies the world over. This is reflected not only in the administration’s new executive order but also in the strong support the Burmese people enjoy in the U.S. Senate. My colleagues and I on both sides of the aisle will continue to follow Suu Kyi’s trial with great interest and deep concern.”
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