[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 97 (Thursday, July 10, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7205-S7206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          URGENT CALL FOR RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY IN CAMBODIA

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise to express my deep concern about the 
brutal subversion of democracy underway in Cambodia. I urge the 
administration to condemn the action for what it is: A bloody coup 
d'etat perpetrated by co-Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cambodian 
People's Party.
  The administration today announced it was suspending for 30 days all 
assistance provided to the Cambodian Government. All such assistance, 
including loans provided by the World Bank and other international 
financial institutions, should remain suspended until the 
democratically elected Government of Cambodia is restored.
  Programs implemented through nongovernmental organizations--efforts 
supporting the rule of law, public health, prosthetics for mine 
victims, et cetera--should be reviewed to determine which ones can 
continue in light of recent events.
  I applaud the decision taken by the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations [ASEAN] to delay Cambodia's membership in that organization. 
Cambodia's neighbors are under no illusions that Cambodia today is 
prepared to be a responsible member of the international community.


                               BACKGROUND

  A few weeks ago, Cambodia seemed poised to close the book on a bloody 
chapter of its history by bringing the genocidal Khmer Rouge Leader Pol 
Pot to justice. But now Hun Sen threatens to plunge the country back 
into darkness and civil war.
  Dozens of people have been killed. There are reports of mass arrests 
and looting in the Capital of Phnom Penh. Prince Ranariddh's supporters 
have been expelled from the legislative assembly. Interior Minister, 
and Ranariddh loyalist, Ho Sok reportedly has been executed while in 
the custody of government troops.
  For the long-suffering people of Cambodia--victims of ``the killing 
fields''--Hun Sen's unconstitutional action is a painful blow to their 
quest for democracy, reconciliation, and national reconstruction. That 
quest seemed achievable in October 1991 when--after 12 years of civil 
war--Cambodia's warring factions and all of the foreign parties who had 
played a role in the Cambodian conflict signed the Paris peace accords. 
Vietnam withdrew its army from Cambodia and the United Nations 
established the U.N. Transitional Authority for Cambodia [UNTAC].
  UNTAC's primary goal was to oversee the creation of a democratic, 
internationally recognized government in Phnom Penh. UNTAC was the 
largest, most comprehensive, and most expensive peacekeeping operation 
in the history of the United Nations. More than 12,000 troops, 4,000 
civil police, and 20,000 civilian workers and volunteers from more than 
50 countries poured into Cambodia.
  UNTAC supervised the return of more than 400,000 refugees from 
Thailand and the registration of 5 million eligible voters. The 
operation cost more than $1.7 billion, with an additional $2 billion 
pledged by international donors to fund reconstruction of the war-torn 
country.
  In May 1993, Cambodia experienced its first free and fair multiparty 
election. Despite terrorist threats from the Khmer Rouge--who refused 
to participate in the election and shelled some polling places--90 
percent of registered voters came to the polls.
  The incredible turnout was a testimony to the enthusiasm of the 
Cambodian people for democracy and their desire for peace.
  Prince Ranariddh's party won those elections. Hun Sen's party came in 
second. But when Hun Sen disputed the results and threatened to plunge 
the country back into civil war, King Sihanouk, with the blessing of 
the international community, fashioned a compromise.
  A coalition government was established, with Prince Ranariddh and Hun 
Sen serving as co-Prime Ministers. They jointly administered Cambodia 
until Hun Sen's coup d'etat last weekend.
  The coalition was never an easy one. In recent months, relations 
between the two Prime Ministers had become increasingly strained as 
both began jockeying for position in the runup to national elections 
scheduled for 1998.
  The disintegration of the Khmer Rouge actually exacerbated the 
tension between the two major parties, as each sought the political and 
military support of the breakaway Khmer Rouge elements.
  Now the tensions have flared into open conflict. The question for the 
friends of democracy in Cambodia is how to respond.
  Our first priority must be to ensure the safety of more than 1,000 
American citizens--including our diplomatic and military personnel.
  Our very able Ambassador in Phnom Penh, Ken Quinn, has acted with 
courage and professionalism to provide a

[[Page S7206]]

safe haven for Americans and to assist those seeking to leave the 
country. Thailand has been enormously helpful by providing aircraft to 
transport Americans and other foreigners out of Cambodia, and I want to 
express my personal thanks to the Royal Thai Government and the people 
of Thailand for their asssistance.


                          restoring democracy

  Mr. President, I fear that putting Cambodia back on the democratic 
path will prove difficult. The international community is not likely to 
fund a second UNTAC. The future of Cambodia is largely in the hands of 
the Cambodian people.
  But the world must not turn its back on Cambodia.
  At a time when pluralism and democracy are generally expanding in 
Asia, we should not condone the unconstitutional use of force to oust a 
legitimately elected government. As the world knows from recent 
history, political instability in Cambodia threatens the peace and 
security of all of Southeast Asia.
  It is in the interest of the United States and all of our friends and 
allies in the region to seek a peaceful resolution of the conflict 
consistent with the spirit of the Paris peace accords. As my colleague, 
Senator McCain urged this body yesterday, we must remain engaged and 
stand ready to do our part.
  The tragic political violence occurring today in Cambodia is proof 
that one election does not make a democracy. In many respects, it is 
the second election--the peaceful transfer of power from one 
administration to the next--that is the miracle of democratic 
governance.
  In the United States, we have the opportunity to experience that 
miracle every 4 years. In Cambodia, the second election, scheduled for 
1998, is in jeopardy. The quest of the Cambodian people is endangered.
  I urge Hun Sen to abandon the path of violence and subordinate his 
own ambitions to the will of the Cambodian people and their dream of 
peace. I hope and pray that Hun Sen and Prince Ranariddh will heed King 
Sihanouk's call and find a way to settle their differences through the 
ballot box rather than the barrel of a gun.

                          ____________________