NO ONE KNOWS for sure where Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma’s democracy movement, is being held captive by the military junta that has ruled her country since 1988. Sources say Suu Kyi, who pro-government forces captured in a bloody attack on May 30, is a prisoner at Insein, Burma’s most infamous jail. But wherever she is, Suu Kyi should know she has friends in the U.S. Congress. In a pair of overwhelming votes, both the House and Senate passed the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 last week. The vote was 94-1 in the Senate and 418-2 in the House. The president is expected to sign the bill, which would ban Burmese exports, freeze the junta’s assets in the United States, and block visas for Burmese leaders.

It’s noteworthy that the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act was shepherded through Congress by Republicans. Senators Mitch McConnell and John McCain and Representative Jim Leach all played an important role. (Representative Tom Lantos, a Democrat from California, also played a key role.) But it’s also noteworthy that the bill’s only opposition came from Republicans. Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi voted against the bill, as did Representatives Jeff Flake of Arizona and Ron Paul of Texas.