On September 22, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 431) expressing the sense of the Senate that the United Nations Security Council should immediately consider and take appropriate actions to respond to the growing threats posed by conditions in Burma under the illegitimate rule of the State Peace and Development Council. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sponsored the resolution.
According to the resolution, “The ruling State Peace and Development Council…and its affiliated organizations continue, through a variety of means, to violate the human rights and dignity of the people of Burma through murder, torture, rape, forced relocation, the employment of child soldiers, the use of forced labor, and the exploitation of child laborers.” The resolution also states that “under the repressive rule of the State Peace and Development Council, the situation in Burma poses an immediate and growing threat to the Southeast Asia region, including through the unchecked spread of HIV/AIDS, the illicit production of, and trafficking in narcotics, trafficking in persons, and alleged efforts to purchase weapons from North Korea, China, and Russia.” Finally, the resolution notes that the United Nations General Assembly has called upon the State Peace and Development Council to release all political prisoners, respect the results of the 1990 national election, and restore democracy to Burma.
