[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 113 (Monday, July 29, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9074-S9075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SENATE RESOLUTION 285--RELATIVE TO CAMBODIA

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

                              S. Res. 285

       Whereas, the Paris Peace Accords of 1991 and the successful 
     national elections of 1993 ended the genocide in Cambodia, 
     brought two decades of civil war nearer to cessation, 
     demonstrated the commitment of the Cambodian people to 
     democracy and stability, and led to the creation of a 
     national constitution guaranteeing fundamental human rights;
       Whereas, since 1991 the international community has 
     contributed almost $2 billion to peacekeeping and national 
     reconstruction in Cambodia and currently provides over 40 
     percent of the budget of the Royal Government of Cambodia 
     (RGC);
       Whereas, recent events in Cambodia--including the arrest 
     and exile of former Foreign Minister Prince Sirivudh, the 
     expulsion of former Finance Minister Sam Rainsy from the 
     FUNCINPEC Party and the National Assembly, a grenade attack 
     against the independent Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party of 
     Cambodia, mob attacks against pro-opposition newspapers, the 
     assassination of journalist and Khmer National Party member 
     Thun Bunly, and harassment of other journalists--suggest that 
     Cambodia is sliding back into a pattern of violence and 
     repression;
       Whereas, rampant corruption in the RGC has emerged as a 
     major cause of public dissatisfaction, which--when expressed 
     by opposition politicians and the press--has resulted in 
     government crackdowns;
       Whereas, Cambodia has been added to the Department of 
     State's list of major narcotics trafficking countries;
       Whereas, the RGC--in contravention to the Cambodian 
     Constitution--has sanctioned massive deforestation and timber 
     exploitation which has devastated the environment, endangered 
     the livelihoods of many of the country's farmers, and helped 
     finance both the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the Khmer 
     Rouge in their civil war;
       Whereas, the desire to cite Cambodia United Nations 
     peacekeeping success story has stifled official international 
     expressions of concern about deteriorating conditions in 
     Cambodia; Now therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense 
     of the Senate that:
       (1) among the primary objectives in U.S. policy toward 
     Cambodia should be improvements in Cambodia's human rights 
     conditions, environmental and narcotics trafficking record, 
     and the RGC's conduct;
       (2) the Secretary of State should closely monitor 
     preparations for upcoming Cambodian elections in 1997 and 
     1998 and should attempt to secure the agreement of the RGC to 
     full and unhindered participation of international observers 
     for those elections to ensure that those elections are held 
     in a free and fair manner complying with international 
     standards,
       (3) the Secretary of State should 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) the Secretary of State should encourage Cambodia's 
     other donors and trading partners to raise concerns with the 
     RGC over Cambodia's human rights, environmental, narcotics 
     trafficking and governmental conduct;

  Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of myself and Senator 
Feinstein to submit a resolution expressing concerns about a series of 
disturbing developments in Cambodia.
  Recently, the Senate Finance Committee reported out H.R. 1642 to 
extend permanent most-favored nation tariff treatment to Cambodia. 
Yesterday, the full Senate passed this legislation by voice vote.
  When the Finance Committee marked up H.R. 1642, the committee's 
members made clear their serious concerns about increasing acts of 
repression by the Royal Government of Cambodia [RGC]. They also 
registered their concerns about growing corruption at the highest 
levels of the civilian and military administration, increasing drug 
trafficking, and substantial environmental degradation.
  In reporting out the bill, the committee made it clear that it was 
doing so, in part, because it believes normal trade relations with 
Cambodia could serve to improve Cambodia's behavior.
  The resolution we are submitting today is meant to send a parallel 
message--that the United States Senate

[[Page S9075]]

remains deeply concerned about problems in Cambodia, and will continue 
to follow events in that country closely.
  Since 1991 the international community has contributed almost $2 
billion to peacekeeping and national reconstruction in Cambodia. 
Multilateral aid also provides over 40 percent of the Royal Government 
of Cambodia's annual budget. American taxpayers contribute a major 
portion of these sums.
  While the United Nations-sponsored election of 1993 brought a brief 
period of freedom and democratic improvement to Cambodia, recent 
developments on a variety of fronts suggests that Cambodia's future 
remains precarious at best.
  For instance, Prince Norodom Sirivudh, former Deputy Prime Minister 
and Foreign Affairs Minister was arrested by the current government 
under trumped up charges of fomenting a plot to assassinate the Second 
Prime Minister, Hun Se. After a summary trial without proper defense, 
Prince Sirivudh was found guilty by Hun Sen-appointed judges and was 
sent into exile in France.
  Another prominent opposition leader, Former Finance Minister Sam 
Rainsy was expelled from the coalition Funcinpec Party and the National 
Assembly for having criticized the RGC for its lack of transparency in 
its business deals with foreign firms. Since his expulsion, several 
members of his party have been murdered.
  A number of members of another opposition party, the Buddhist Liberal 
Democratic Party of Cambodia, headed by former Prime Minister Sonn San, 
died as a result of a grenade attack during that party's national 
convention.
  In addition, a number of editors and reporters from opposition 
newspapers have been assassinated. Currently, none of these 
assassination cases have been solved.
  Corruption in Phnom Penh is rampant and Cambodia has emerged as a 
major heroin trafficking center in Asia. Finally, in contravention to 
the Cambodian Constitution, the RGC has permitted deforestation and 
timber exploitation on such a massive scale that the agricultural 
livelihoods of enormous numbers of Cambodians are now threatened.
  The resolution I am submitting registers the concerns I know we all 
share in the Senate on these disturbing trends in the Cambodian 
economy, government and environment. Mr. President, I urge all my 
colleagues to join me in support of this legislation.

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