[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 475 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

  2d Session
S. RES. 475

                To condemn human rights abuses in Laos.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 19, 2004

   Mr. Coleman (for himself, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Kohl, and Mr. Dayton) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

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                               RESOLUTION


 
                To condemn human rights abuses in Laos.

Whereas the Lao People's Democratic Republic is an authoritarian, Communist, 
        one-party state;
Whereas the Government of Laos has a poor human rights record, particularly with 
        regard to its treatment of minorities;
Whereas the United States Central Intelligence Agency trained and armed tens of 
        thousands of Hmong guerrillas to disrupt Viet Cong supply lines and 
        rescue downed pilots during the Vietnam war;
Whereas in 1975, the Kingdom of Laos was overthrown by the Communist Pathet Lao 
        regime, and tens of thousands of Laotians, including the Hmong, were 
        killed or died at the hands of Communist forces while attempting to flee 
        the Lao Communist regime, and many others perished in reeducation and 
        labor camps;
Whereas tens of thousands of Hmong became refugees, eventually resettling in the 
        United States, where they now reside as American citizens and lead 
        constructive lives as members of our communities;
Whereas remnants of former Hmong insurgent groups and their families who once 
        fought with the United States and the Royal Lao Government still remain 
        in remote areas of Laos, including Xaisomboun Special Zone and the Luang 
        Prabang Province;
Whereas in August 2003 the United Nations Committee to Eliminate Racial 
        Discrimination strongly criticized the Lao People's Democratic Republic 
        for failing to honor its obligations, expressed its grave concerns 
        regarding reports of human rights violations, including brutalities 
        inflicted on the Hmong, and deplored the measures taken by the Lao 
        authorities to prevent any reporting of the situation of the Hmong;
Whereas in October 2003, Amnesty International issued a statement detailing its 
        concern about the use of starvation by the Lao Government as a ``weapon 
        of war against civilians'' in Laos and the deteriorating situation 
        facing thousands of family members of ethnic minority groups;
Whereas the Department of State reported in its most recent Country Report on 
        Human Rights Practices for Laos that the ``Government's human rights 
        record remained poor,'' and highlighted press reports that one group of 
        Hmong in Xaisomboun Special Zone, mostly women and children, was being 
        systematically hunted down and attacked by government air and ground 
        forces and that it was at the point of starvation;
Whereas international organizations, the Department of State, and Members of 
        Congress have received reports of mistreatment over the past 6 months of 
        Hmong in Laos emerging from remote areas of Laos, including the 
        Xaisomboun Special Zone, the Luang Prabang-Xieng Khouang border area;
Whereas the Lao Government has not allowed independent organizations to monitor 
        the treatment of the Hmong emerging from remote areas of Laos;
Whereas in September 2004, Amnesty International issued a statement condemning 
        recent reports that Lao soldiers murdered 5 Hmong children, raping 4 
        girls, who were foraging for food close to their camp, and called it a 
        war crime; and
Whereas the Lao People's Democratic Republic has failed to substantially improve 
        the status of human rights for its citizens: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns the consistent pattern of serious human rights 
        abuses in the Lao People's Democratic Republic;
            (2) urges the Government of Laos to increase international 
        access to vulnerable populations and to respect the basic human 
        rights of all Laotians, including ethnic and religious 
        minorities; and
            (3) hopes that the Lao government intensifies its efforts 
        to make its economy and society more open and transparent in 
        light of the congressional grant of normal trade relations to 
        the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
                                 <all>