[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 124 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 124

 To state the sense of the Senate that members of the Khmer Rouge who 
  participated in the Cambodian genocide should be brought to justice 
     before an international tribunal for crimes against humanity.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 24, 1997

   Mr. Roth (for himself, Mr. Thomas, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mr. Grams) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 To state the sense of the Senate that members of the Khmer Rouge who 
  participated in the Cambodian genocide should be brought to justice 
     before an international tribunal for crimes against humanity.

Whereas the Khmer Rouge recently staged a show trial of Pol Pot, the reputed 
        leader of the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian genocide;
Whereas the Khmer Rouge have been promoting their National Solidarity Party and 
        proclaiming their support for ``liberal democracy'' as a means to 
        legitimate their role in Cambodian politics;
Whereas, while the Khmer Rouge have been weakened since the Paris Peace Accords 
        of 1991, they remain a key source of violence in Cambodia;
Whereas Cambodian People's Party leader and Second Prime Minister Hun Sen staged 
        a bloody and illegal coup against the First Prime Minister and leader of 
        the FUNCINPEC Party, Norodom Ranaridhh;
Whereas Hun Sen maintains that the coup was necessary because elements of 
        FUNCINPEC were on the verge of consummating a deal to bring the Khmer 
        Rouge military and political organization into the legitimate political 
        arena;
Whereas Norodom Ranariddh, by contrast, has argued that FUNCINPEC had no plan to 
        form an alliance with the Khmer Rouge and that this allegation was used 
        as a pretext by Hun Sen for the coup;
Whereas Norodom Ranaridhh asserts instead that he was on the verge of finally 
        destroying the Khmer Rouge and bringing them to justice;
Whereas Norodom Ranaridhh further asserts that the real reason for the coup was 
        that Hun Sen fears that convening an international tribunal to bring the 
        Khmer Rouge to justice would implicate Hun Sen in genocidal atrocities;
Whereas Hun Sen has consistently argued that the top Khmer Rouge leadership--
        including, but not limited to Pol Pot--must be brought to justice before 
        an international criminal tribunal;
Whereas earlier this year Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen wrote to United Nations 
        Secretary-General Kofi Annan asking for ``the assistance of the United 
        Nations and the international community in bringing to justice those 
        persons responsible for the genocide and crimes against humanity during 
        the rule of the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979'';
Whereas, after the coup, troops loyal to Norodom Ranariddh appear to have formed 
        a military alliance with troops loyal to the Khmer Rouge leadership, 
        thus reinforcing the fears of the Cambodia people that the Khmer Rouge 
        will use any means necessary to regain power;
Whereas peace, democracy, stability, the rule of law and national reconciliation 
        in Cambodia are unlikely to be achieved until the Khmer Rouge are 
        brought to justice; and
Whereas the Cambodian Genocide Justice Act states that it is the policy of the 
        United States to support efforts to bring to justice members of the 
        Khmer Rouge for their crimes against humanity, and in circumstances 
        which the President deems appropriate, to encourage the establishment of 
        an international criminal tribunal for the prosecution of those accused 
        of genocide in Cambodia and provide such tribunal with relevant 
        information: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that:
            (1) a primary objective of U.S. policy toward Cambodia 
        should be the establishment of an international tribunal for 
        the prosecution of those responsible for the Cambodian 
        genocide;
            (2) in compliance with the Cambodian Genocide Justice Act 
        and the objectives stated above, the President should 
        immediately deem it appropriate to encourage the establishment 
        of an international criminal tribunal for the prosecution of 
        such members of the Khmer Rouge;
            (3) in further compliance with the Cambodian Genocide 
        Justice Act, the United States should support efforts to bring 
        members of the Khmer Rouge--including Pol Pot--to justice for 
        their crimes against humanity before an international tribunal, 
        including providing that tribunal with any information 
        available on such members' involvement in the Cambodian 
        genocide; and
            (4) the Secretary of State should encourage all Member 
        countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the 
        People's Republic of China, Japan, and other interested 
        countries to support such a tribunal.
                                 <all>.