Benjamin Gilman: “this measure recognizes the 10th anniversary of the freedom and fair elections in Burma and the urgent need to improve…”

“this measure recognizes the 10th anniversary of the freedom and fair elections in Burma and the urgent need to improve the democratic and human rights of the people of Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the parliament who were elected in 1990 have not been able to establish a government inside of Burma. Many of her supporters have been and still are in prison. Thousands have been tortured and murdered. The government relies heavily on slave and forced labor for construction projects. The International Labor Organization, the ILO, has even banned it from participating in any ILO meetings. The government of Burma is indifferent to the illicit drug trade and was recently decertified for not fully cooperating to our Nation. It has provided a safe haven to notorious Burmese drug dealer Khun Saw. It was just reported that Secretary of Defense Cohen was in Thailand 2 days ago and that the Thai are now asking for 50 helicopters to fight against the drug traffickers. The Thai military has estimated that some 600 million amphetamine pills flooded Thailand just last year from across the border with Burma. Thai community leaders have frequently accused Burma of destroying Thai youth, warning that drug addiction was reaching crisis proportions in Thailand with more than 600,000 young people reportedly hooked on amphetamines.”