IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 1, 2021

Mr. Brihimia (for himself, Mr. ItsZippy23, Mr. Skiboy625, Mr. Aikex, Mr. StevenIng29) authored and submitted the following resolution, which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services and Foreign Affairs.

A RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the government of Myanmar immediately end the detention of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other duly elected officials of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and that the President of the United States use the diplomatic means of the United States to ensure stability in Myanmar and the region.

Whereas, the Union of Burma gained independence from the United Kingdom on 4 January 1948 as an independent republic,

Whereas, Burma came under the control of a military junta in 1962, leading to the country’s name being changed to Myanmar in 1989,

Whereas, the stability of Myanmar’s government has been shaky at best since then, and that its decisions have often sidestepped the will of the people in favor of the will of military officials,

Whereas, the events of the 21st century offered hope for a transition to a democracy for Myanmar following a 2008 constitutional referendum, the 2011 dissolution of the military junta, and the 2016 installation of Aung San Suu Kyi as State Counsellor,

Whereas, the international community was extremely dismayed by the persecution Rohingya people in Rakhine State, which led to the diaspora of over 700,000 refugees and the destruction of communities, in what many have considered to be a genocide,

Whereas, the international community was further dismayed by the prolific usage of social media in Myanmar to distribute false information and smother truthful media regarding the events in Rakhine State,

Whereas, the government and military of Myanmar was found to have a significant role in the events in Rakhine State and the restrictions on the free flow of information in regard to those events, including the detention of journalists covering the events,

Whereas, elections in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar were held in 2015 and 2020, both of which resulted in the election of a government led by the National League for Democracy and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, marking significant developments in the transition to democracy,

Whereas, the elections resulted in a poor showing the Union Solidarity and Development Party, the party supported by the military of Myanmar, leading to claims of fraud in the 2020 elections on behalf of the military,

Whereas, on February 1st, 2021, military leaders arrested and detained both State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint,

Whereas, numerous other duly elected government officials were detained by the military in the process,

Whereas, the country has been placed once again under the leadership of a military junta for at least the next year, and communication outlets in the country have been restricted in order to prevent the free flow of information,

Whereas, the actions of the military represent a dangerous attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and are not the appropriate way to express concerns regarding the legitimacy of said election,

Whereas, the actions taken by the military have been deemed by the international community to be a coup d'état, and that the coup d'état stokes fears of further violence in order to overturn the democratic will of the people of Myanmar,

Whereas, the coup d'état undertaken by the military of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar is wholly unjustified,

Now, therefore, be it established that the House of Representatives —

Strongly condemns the actions undertaken by the military of Myanmar in the February 1st coup d'état,

Urges the President of the United States to join the House of Representatives in condemning the coup d'état,

Urges the Department of State and the Acting Secretary of State to seek the immediate release of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and all other democratically elected and appointed government officials arrested and detained,

Urges the Department of State and the Acting Secretary of State to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar that respects the value of democracy and the will of the people of Myanmar, and if necessary, encourage the conducting of a new election.