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Recent Press Releases

“The Silence in Burma is a Deafening One”

October 1, 2007





Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following remarks Monday on the current situation in Burma:



“For the past week the world watched the people of Burma rise up against the oppressive regime that rules that country.



“Then the tyrannical junta that has held power for years, the State Peace and Development Council, brought out its soldiers and its guns. They arrested, brutalized and killed many who bravely stood up to its misrule.



“And so, while last week the streets were filled with brave monks adorned in saffron robes demonstrating for freedom, today those same streets are occupied by uniformed thugs and lined with barbed-wire barricades.



“And, for now, the people of Burma have largely fallen silent.



“But the silence in Burma is a deafening one that we can still hear. Even if the freedom-loving people of Burma have been temporarily quieted, the rest of us can still lend our voices to their cause.



“Earlier today, Senator Kerry and I introduced a sense of the Senate resolution condemning the SPDC for its brutality in snuffing out these cries for freedom.



“We have already been joined by scores of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I know we will be joined by many more. The House of Representatives is slated to pass a similar measure later this week.



“In this way, the entire Congress of the United States will be able to speak, when the Burmese citizen, the Buddhist monk, and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi herself are forced to be silent.



“I urge all of my colleagues to join me and Senator Kerry on this resolution.”

Sen. McConnell on Burma: We Still Hear the Cries of Freedom

September 28, 2007



Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell released the following statement Friday on the recent violence in Burma and the State Peace and Development Council’s move to cut off Internet access to the people of Burma:



“Today, I send a message to the tyrannical State Peace and Development Council: you cannot censor the graphic images the world has witnessed during the past few days; they will never be forgotten. We still hear the cries of freedom from the people you seek to silence. We stand with the courageous people of Burma in their heroic struggle.”



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Senators McConnell/Feinstein Send Video Message to the People of Burma

September 27, 2007

*Your struggle is our struggle. The world is watching and we are cheering you*

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) recorded a video message Thursday for the people of Burma. In the video, Senators McConnell and Feinstein spoke directly to the people of Burma to let them know that the United States supports their efforts for freedom and democracy.



To view the video please go to the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Dnuws9Sxo



Transcript follows:



Senator McCONNELL: Hello, I am United States Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.



Senator FEINSTEIN: And, I am United States Senator Dianne Feinstein.



McCONNELL: Today, we would like to speak directly to the freedom-loving people of Burma.



My friends, we want you to know that we in the United States and others around the world have closely followed your efforts to win the freedom you deserve.



Technology has permitted people everywhere to witness your heroism and to watch the brutal reaction of the State Peace and Development Council.



We in the United States remain humbled by the courageous protests we see on television and on the internet. Our newspapers report daily of your peaceful heroism.



We have also watched the violent attempts to suppress your nonviolent demonstrations.



The world has not ignored your efforts. Each day more people become invested in your quest for democracy. The regime can no longer ignore the outside world as people see the images of your peaceful demonstrations and the barbaric efforts to quash them.



Most of all we want you to know that we, like so many others throughout the world, actively support your struggle for freedom, democracy and reconciliation.



Your struggle is our struggle. The world is watching and we are cheering you.



FEINSTEIN: Today, I join Senator McConnell in expressing our complete solidarity with you, the brave people of Burma.



We hear your pleas for liberty, democracy, and human rights.



We admire your courage and determination. We are moved by your commitment to non-violence in the face of oppression and threats of violence.



You are not alone. The people of the United States, the Congress, and the Administration stand with you and support your goal of a free and democratic Burma.



Our pledge to you is that we will continue to press the military regime to release all political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and to begin a true dialogue on national reconciliation with all parties.



We will continue to urge Burma’s neighbors with the closest ties to the regime – China, India, Japan, Russia, and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – to put pressure on the regime to cease its attacks and embrace a peaceful political settlement.



We are watching, we are paying attention, and we will not give up on our shared vision of a free and democratic Burma.



FEINSTEIN: To quote the words of the brave Burmese protestors: “Our cause.”



McCONNELL: "Our cause."



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