Paying Tribute to Dr. Cynthia Maung

On June 5, 2003, the House of Commons paid tribute to Dr. Cynthia Maung and the work she has done in Burma. Larry Bagnell, MP (Yukon) read a statement about Dr. Maung and the Speaker of the House recognized her presence in the Gallery.

FROM HANSARD:

Mr. Larry Bagnell (Yukon, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, in respect of Dr. Cynthia Maung, who joins us in Ottawa today, I stand before the House to bring to the attention of my fellow colleagues the shameful situation in Myanmar or as most people prefer to call it, Burma.

In 1948 Burma was one of Asia's most promising young democracies, buttressed by a growing free market and well educated population. Today it is Asia's most backward country. It is a police state, ruled by a medieval military dictatorship, plagued by five violent insurgencies. Consequently, the majority of its population languishes in abject poverty.

This past weekend, Burma's ruling junta attacked the convoy of Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel prize laureate and winner of Burma's last free election. Between 70 and 100 pro-democracy activists may well have been murdered. Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested with 19 of her colleagues and has not been seen since. There are reports she has been seriously injured and there are rumours she may have been killed.

Enough is enough with this regime. It has pillaged Burma and its people for too long while playing the rest of us for fools. Canada has rightly cut off most of its ties with that government. Following this shameful display on the weekend, we and our allies must, with one voice, tell Burma's generals this will not stand.

The Speaker: I wish to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of Dr. Cynthia Maung of Myanmar.

Dr. Maung operates a hospital on the Thailand-Myanmar border where she provides critical health care services to thousands of refugees from her country.

Some hon. members: Hear, hear.