[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H2851-H2853]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DETERIORATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN CAMBODIA
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 345), expressing concern about the deterioration of
human rights in Cambodia, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 345
Whereas the Paris Peace Accords of 1991 and the successful
national elections of 1993 ended two decades of civil war and
genocide in Cambodia, demonstrated the commitment of the
Cambodian people to democracy and stability, and established
a national constitution guaranteeing fundamental human
rights;
Whereas since 1991 the international community has
contributed more than $3,000,000,000 to peacekeeping and
national reconstruction in Cambodia and currently provides
over 40 percent of the budget of the Cambodian Government;
Whereas recent events in Cambodia, including the arrest and
exile of former Foreign Minister Prince Sirivudh, the
expulsion of the former Finance Minister Sam Rainsy from the
government coalition FUNCINPEC Party and the National
Assembly, a grenade attack against the independent Buddhist
Liberal Democratic Party of Cambodia, and mob attacks against
pro-opposition newspapers, suggest that Cambodia is sliding
back into a pattern of violence and repression;
Whereas rampant official corruption in the Cambodian
Government has emerged as a major cause of public
dissatisfaction, which in turn has resulted in the government
crackdown against these outspoken opposition politicians and
the press;
Whereas heroin traffic in and through Cambodia has become
so widespread that Cambodia has been added to the Department
of State's list of major narcotics trafficking countries;
Whereas the desire to cite Cambodia as a success story for
United Nations peacekeeping and international cooperation has
stifled the expression of concern about deteriorating human
rights conditions in Cambodia; and
Whereas conditions in Cambodia have deteriorated since the
House of Representatives passed House Bill 1642 on July 11,
1995, which grants Cambodia unconditional most favored
trading status: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges the Secretary of State to make human rights
concerns among the primary objectives in bilateral relations
with Cambodia;
(2) urges the Secretary of State to closely monitor
preparations for upcoming Cambodian elections in 1997 and
1998 and attempt to secure the agreement of the Cambodian
Government to full and unhindered participation of
international observers for these elections;
(3) urges the Secretary of State to support the
continuation of human rights monitoring in Cambodia by the
United Nations, including monitoring through the office of
the United Nations Center for Human Rights in Phnom Penh and
monitoring by the Special Representative of the United
Nations Secretary General for Human Rights in Cambodia;
(4) urges the Secretary of State to encourage Cambodia's
other donors and trading partners to raise human rights
concerns with Cambodia;
(5) supports efforts by the United States to provide
assistance to Cambodia to broaden democratic civil society,
to strengthen the rule of law and to ensure that future
elections in Cambodia are free and fair; and
(6) urges that the United States raise human rights
concerns at the June 1996 meeting of the Donor's Consultative
Meeting for Cambodia and during consideration of projects in
Cambodia to be financed by international financial
institutions.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York [Mr. Gilman] and the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Moran] will each
be recognized for 20 minutes.
[[Page H2852]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman].
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it has been 2 years since Cambodia had its first
democratic election that brought to power the current coalition
government.
Over the past 4 years, the United States donated some $700 million to
the efforts to help Cambodia rebuild its economy and become a
democracy.
But some very serious problems remain.
Last year the Cambodian National Assembly passed a provision to the
press law that will allow the Government under the vague rubric of
national security and political stability virtually unfettered power to
confiscate and close down newspapers and charge journalists with
criminal offenses.
The government has requested prosecution and closure of several
Cambodian newspapers, as well as the highly regarded english language
weekly, the Phnom Penh Post.
In addition to these problems, there are the serious questions
surrounding the unsolved killings of three journalists, and the
expulsion and threatened expulsion of members of parliament who
expressed views critical of the ruling coalition.
One trial ended with the conviction of Thun Bun Ly, the editor of
Khmer Ideal on charges of disinformation for critical and satirical
essays that the paper published.
The newspaper has been closed and Thun Bun Ly has been fined 10
million riel--$4,000--and sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment should
he fail to pay in 2 months.
The Congress needs to closely watch the situation in Cambodia. The
leaders of that nation need to permit the development of an independent
judiciary, to allow for complete freedom of the press and independent
political participation.
Another important issue is the drug trade. there are many reports
coming out of the region pointing out that Cambodia's army and security
apparatus is providing transportation and protection for the heroin
trade.
I want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Bereuter, and
the ranking minority member, for their work on House Resolution 345.
House Resolution 345 expresses important American concerns and I
wholeheartedly support its passage.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Democratic minority is going to support this
resolution as amended. We do wish it was a little bit more balanced. It
is true certainly that the human rights situation in Cambodia has
deteriorated over the past year, but the resolution does not adequately
recognize the difficulties that Cambodia faces.
Cambodia is not a police state. It is far more open and free than
many of its neighbors. Unlike many of its neighbors, it has an active
opposition press that does not hesitate to criticize the government
and, in many ways, in an inflammatory language that we would be shocked
at in this country.
While it is true that government troops have committed human rights
violations, it is also true that the Cambodian Government and military
have stepped up their efforts to ensure that these abuses are not
repeated. The U.S. Government is in fact funding those efforts.
So I would urge my colleagues not to give up on Cambodia, given that
country's tragic history over the past quarter century in which we
played a significant role. We should not be surprised if it fails to
fully live up to our ideals on human rights. Progress is being made.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter], the
distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
(Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the
committee for yielding me this time and for his support.
Mr. Speaker, this Member introduced House Resolution 345 to put the
Cambodian Government on notice that the House is increasingly concerned
about the deterioration of democracy and human rights in that country.
The resolution at the desk includes two minor technical corrections.
the first corrects the date of upcoming elections; the second notes the
fact that Cambodia has been added to the State Department's list of
narcotics trafficking countries.
Mr. Speaker, Cambodia has made tremendous strides toward democracy
since the killing fields of Pol Pot and the Vietnamese occupation; but
serious problems remain. House Resolution 345, while commending the
Cambodian people for their commitment to democracy and stability,
expresses serious concern about human rights problems in that country.
This Member is concerned that the desire by the administration and the
international community to cite Cambodia as a success story for U.N.
peacekeeping has stifled the expression of concern about the
deterioration of democracy and human rights conditions in Cambodia.
On September 21, 1995, the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific held
hearings on internal stability, democracy, and economic development in
Cambodia. At this hearing, several well-informed private witnesses,
including the International Republican Institute, described a serious
deterioration of democracy and human rights in Cambodia during the last
12 months.
Few people have experienced as much suffering the last 30 years as
the people of Cambodia. Cambodia was drawn into the Vietnam war. The
country endured 3 years of tyrannical rule by the Khmer Rouge [KR],
under which more than 1 million Cambodians perished. Cambodia was
invaded by Vietnam in 1979 and then suffered another 12 years of civil
war.
Cambodia's road back from this horror began with the October 1991
Paris Peace Accords, under the auspices of the United Nations. These
accords led to remarkably successful national elections in May 1993,
during which 90 percent of Cambodia's eligible voters braved threats
from Pol Pot and his henchmen and voted to install a democratic
parliamentary system of government. Cambodia's national unity coalition
government, which resulted from these elections, demonstrates the
desire of the Cambodian people for representative government and
stability.
The 1993 elections, however, were only the first step toward
democracy in Cambodia. The impediments remain formidable: the Khmer
Rouge continues to fight a low intensity war against the Government;
the former ruling party--the ex-communist Cambodian People's Party--has
found it difficult to share power; the royalist party which won the
elections has been charged with corruption; and, the Government seems
to be drifting toward authoritarianism.
Not only are there questions about the depth and staying-power of the
current democratic system in Cambodia, but the Government of Cambodia
has taken some troubling actions. As a parliamentarian, and Member of
Congress, I am very troubled by what appears to be an increasing
tendency toward intolerance of dissent in the Cambodian National
Assembly. The expulsion from the National Assembly of the outspoken Sam
Rainsy, the arrest and exile of former Foreign Minister Prince
Sirivudh, and the threatened expulsion of other legislators is of
particular concern. Moreover, the arrest of some journalists and the
enactment of a restrictive press law raise questions about the
Cambodian Government's commitment to free speech and a free press.
Mr. Speaker, since the House acted to approve most-favored-nation
trading status for Cambodia earlier this year, we certainly now need to
balance that action with a straightforward message to Phnom Penh on
human rights violations. That is exactly what House Resolution 345, as
amended, does.
One positive sign, which could make a long-term contribution to
democracy and human rights in Cambodia, is the strong network of local
and international nongovernment organizations. This Member commends the
Government for its continued welcoming of NGO's in that country and
hopes this positive attitude will continue.
The resolution urges the administration to bring a larger effort to
making
[[Page H2853]]
democracy and human rights concerns among our primary objectives in
bilateral relations with Cambodia, calls for close monitoring of
important upcoming elections, supports democratization efforts of
United States assistance programs, and urges that the United States and
other donors raise democracy and human rights at the June 1996 meeting
of the Donor's Consultative Meeting for Cambodia.
Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 345 represents a balanced and
constructive effort to advance democracy and human rights in Cambodia.
This Member wants to thank the distinguished gentleman from New York
and chairman of the House International Relations Committee, [Mr.
Gilman] and the distinguished Member from California and ranking member
of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, [Mr. Berman] for their
assistance and support for this resolution. This Member urges all his
colleagues in this body to support House Resolution 345, as amended.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chairman of our
subcommittee, the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter] for his
supportive comments.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 345, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________