That the Senate—
endorses the aforementioned internationally recognized prerequisites for free and fair general elections in Burma and finds them consistent with those articulated by the National League for Democracy in its January 13, 2015, statement;
calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to—
publicly support meaningful efforts to reform the 2008 Constitution of Burma, with the full and unfettered participation of the people of Burma and in a manner that promotes and protects the democratic development of Burma and safeguards against arbitrary and capricious interference by the Tatmadaw;
support free and fair elections in Burma, including by taking bilateral and multilateral steps, as necessary, to ensure that the Tatmadaw and its affiliates do not influence the outcome of such elections (including through a declaration of a state of emergency in order to influence or postpone such polls) and that President Thein Sein and other ruling government officials do not engage in the use of official resources (including international assistance) for electioneering; and
express solidarity with the United Nations special mechanisms that are investigating and protesting against violations of human rights in Burma, and to express concern regarding the Government of Burma’s refusal to work cooperatively with such mechanisms;
calls upon the United States Government, in partnership with other international donors, to ensure that the Government of Burma and the Union Election Commission function in an independent, fair, and impartial manner throughout the preparation and conduct of elections in Burma, and that the Tatmadaw publicly affirms in advance that it will honor the results of such elections;
expects the President to delay further steps toward normalization of relations with Burma, including immediately suspending all military-to-military engagement with the Tatmadaw, should the Government of Burma, including the Tatmadaw and any of its affiliates, undermine the prospects for free and fair elections in Burma;
expects the President to take additional actions to sanction specific individuals within the Government of Burma whom the President determines undermine free and fair elections in Burma, including through the denial of visas and freezing of assets of such individuals, as appropriate;
calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to take action to ensure that ethnic groups in Burma are not coerced, in any way or by any means, into ceasefire agreements with the Government of Burma;
calls upon the Secretary of State to work with like-minded regional and international governments to ensure that the general elections in Burma meet international standards of free and fair elections, including by ensuring that international and domestic monitors have full and unimpeded access to all aspects of the electoral process; and
calls upon the Secretary of State to publicly and forcefully condemn human rights abuses committed by the Tatmadaw and to demand credible and independent investigations and prosecutions of any and all allegations of such abuse, including with respect to—
the January 19, 2015, rape and murder by the Tatmadaw of two Kachin volunteer schoolteachers in Northern Shan State;
the December 22, 2014, murder of Daw Khin Win, a nonviolent protestor at the Letpadaung mine site;
the November 19, 2014, killing of 23 cadets in Laiza, Kachin State, by the Tatmadaw’s shelling;
the October 4, 2014, murder of Ko Par Gyi in Mon State, a freelance journalist and former body guard of opposition political leader Aung San Suu Kyi; and
the September 13, 2012, fatal shooting by the Tatmadaw of 14-year-old Ja Seng Ing in Hpakant Township, Kachin State.