MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Burma - conduct of elections and the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
23.11.2010
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Geoffrey Van Orden, Charles Tannock, Nirj Deva, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Marek Henryk Migalski, Ryszard Czarnecki, Adam Bielan, Michał Tomasz Kamiński, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Konrad Szymański on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0635/2010
B7‑0641/2010
European Parliament resolution on Burma - conduct of elections and the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Burma, most recently on 20.5.2010
- having regard to Articles 18 - 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948,
- having regard to Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 1966,
- having regard to EU Presidency Statement calling for all-inclusive dialogue between the authorities and the democratic forces in Burma/Myanmar - 23 February 2010,
- having regard to the statement of the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek of 11 March 2010 on Burma new election laws,
- having regard to the Chairman´s Statement of the 16th ASEAN Summit – Hanoi, 9 April 2010,
- having regard to the Council Conclusions on Burma/Myanmar – 3009th Foreign Affairs Council meeting – Luxembourg, 26 April 2010,
- having regard to European Council Conclusions - Declaration on Burma of 19 June 2010,
- having regard to UN Secretary-General report on the situation of human rights in Burma/Myanmar – 28 August 2010,
- having regard to the EU declaration of 7 November 2010 on the elections in Burma,
- having regard to the statement of the Secretary General of the UN and of the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek of 8 November 2010 on the Burmese elections,
- having regard to the statement of the Secretary General of the UN of 13 November 2010 on the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
- having regard to the statement by the EU of 13 November 2010 on the release of Aung San Suu Kyi,
- having regard to Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. Whereas on 7 November 2010 Burma held its first national elections for over 20 years; these elections were based on the controversial Constitution, introduced in 2008, which guarantees the Burmese military a quarter of all parliamentary seats;
B. Whereas new electoral laws that were passed by the State Peace and Development Council in March 2010 severely curtail the Burmese people's right to freedom of expression and their right to freely assemble;
C. Whereas the foreign journalists and election observers who were allowed into the country for the elections condemned the ballot as a sham, with the UN's Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon describing the elections as neither sufficiently inclusive nor sufficiently transparent;
D. Whereas the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was able to field candidates in almost all constituencies but pro-democracy parties such as the National Democratic Force (an off-shoot of the National League for Democracy, which boycotted these elections) were limited to fielding candidates in only a handful of constituencies, largely due to the fact that they had little time to raise funds for the election or to organise properly;
E. Whereas there were many complaints over both the basis and the conduct of the elections, with failures to protect the secrecy of the ballot, coercion of state employees, and military efforts to force ethnic-Karens, for example, to vote for junta-backed parties;
F. Whereas on the evening of 13 November 2010, less than a week after the disputed national elections had been held, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after spending 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest;
G. Whereas, provided it is not rescinded, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi could be interpreted as a step in the right direction by the military junta; whereas, however, many have expressed concern about Aung San Suu Kyi's safety and note that she is being kept under surveillance by the state security services;
H. Whereas, while Aung San Suu Kyi has been released, more than other 2,200 other pro-democracy activists remain in captivity as well as many of the Buddhist monks who led the anti-government protests in 2007 and journalists who covered the protests;
I. Whereas the government of Burma has since 2003 rejected every single suggestion made to it by the United Nations and the wider international community for improving upon and fully implementing its seven-stage "roadmap to democracy";
J. Whereas the Burmese military continues to commit atrocious human rights violations against civilians in the ethnic Karen homelands on the Thai border, acts which include extrajudicial killings, forced labour and sexual violence;
K. Whereas the United Nations, the EU and its Member States, the US and many other governments across the world have said that in order to reach a long-term solution to Burma’s problems, tripartite talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy, representatives of Burma's ethnic minorities, and the Burmese junta, are essential; whereas the government of Burma still refuses to enter into such talks;
L. Whereas the EU has imposed restrictive measures on the Burmese regime since 1996, including a freeze on the assets of some 540 individuals and 62 entities; travel bans; a ban on the export of military equipment; and, more recently a ban on equipment for logging and mining and on the import of certain timber, precious stones and minerals; until such time as there is evidence of genuine change in the direction of democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and the rule of law.
1. Deeply regrets that the ruling Burmese military junta refused to hold fully free and fair elections in Burma on 7 November;
2. Welcomes Aung San Suu Kyi's recent release but deplores the fact that she was only released after the elections, making it impossible for her to actively campaign for the opposition during the elections;
3. Insists that Aung San Suu Kyi’s freedom of expression and physical freedom, including her unhindered right to travel feely and safely throughout Burma and abroad, and to return to Burma, be guaranteed by the Burmese regime and the services under its control;
3. Deplores the restrictions placed by the ruling military junta on the main opposition parties, as well as the restrictions placed on the press's freedom to report on and monitor the elections;
4. Deplores the fact that the new constitution guarantees the Burmese military a minimum of a quarter of all seats in parliament, and also allows the military to suspend all civil liberties and parliament whenever it so deems it necessary in the interests of national security;
5. Strongly condemns the ongoing violations of the fundamental freedoms and basic democratic rights of the people of Burma at the hands of the Burmese military junta;
6. Urges the Government of Burma to release all Burma's remaining 2200 political prisoners without delay, without any pre-condition, as well as to fully restore all of their political rights; also insists that the Burmese authorities do not make any further politically motivated arrests;
7. Strongly calls upon the Burmese regime to lift restrictions on freedom of assembly, freedom of movement and freedom of expression, and calls for an end to politically-motivated censorship of the press, as well as politically-motivated control of the internet and mobile phone network;
8. Strongly urges the Burmese regime to enter into discussions with Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy, as well as with representatives of the Karen people; in this regard, welcomes the mediation efforts made by the UN Secretary-General and his Special Rapporteur on Burma;
9. Urges the Governments of China, India and Russia to use their considerable economic and political influence with the Burmese authorities to bring about real change in Burma;
10. Calls on the governments of the ASEAN countries, as well as that of China, which have a 'privileged relationship' with Burma, to use this relationship to urge the Burmese junta to stop systematically targeting ethnic Karen civilians, a policy which has led to hundreds of thousands fleeing over the border into Thailand;
11. Calls on the EU, as well as its Member States, to employ its full economic and political influence in order to bring about freedom and democracy in Burma; urges Member States and the EU to continue to provide funding for refugees on the Thai-Burma border;
12. Welcomes the President of the European Parliament's invitation to Aung San Suu Kyi to attend the Sakharov prize-giving ceremony in Strasbourg in December; highlights the fact that should she be able to attend, she will be officially presented with the Sakharov Prize that she won in 1990 for all that she has done to promote democracy and freedom in Burma;
13. Welcomes the decision taken by the President of the European Parliament to send a Parliamentary delegation to Burma to present Aung San Suu Kyi with her Sakharov Prize, should she be unable to attend the prize-giving ceremony in Strasbourg;
14. Instructs the President to forward this resolution to Aung San Suu Kyi, to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the EU Special Envoy for Burma, the Burmese State Peace and Development Council, the governments of the ASEAN and ASEM member states, the ASEM secretariat, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Special Rapporteur for Burma/Myanmar.