[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 111 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1531-E1532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REACTION TO INDIAN PRIME MINISTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 19, 2000

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, last week the Indian Prime 
Minister spoke in this very chamber to a joint session of Congress. In 
addition, he will meet with several American leaders, including 
President Clinton and perhaps both major-party Presidential candidates. 
When he meets with these leaders, they must bring up the issue of human 
rights and self-determination.
  India claims to be a democracy, but in truth there is no democracy in 
India. It is a militant Hindu fundamentalist state. Christians, Sikhs, 
Muslims, Dalits, and other minorities suffer severe oppression and 
atrocities at the hands of Hindu fundamentalists.
  Just last month, a priest in India was kidnapped, tortured, and 
paraded through town naked by militant Hindu nationalists. The Indian 
government has refused to register a complaint against the kidnappers. 
This is the latest act in a campaign of terror against Christians that 
has been going on since Christmas of 1998. This campaign has seen the 
murders of priests, 5 of which were beheaded; rape of nuns, Hindu 
militants burning a missionary and his two sons to death in their van, 
the destruction of schools and prayer halls, and other anti-Christian 
atrocities. Most of these activities have been carried out by allies of 
the government or people affiliated with organizations under the 
umbrella of the RSS, the parent organization of the ruling BJP, which 
was founded in support of Fascism.
  And its not just Christians, where more than 200,000 have been 
murdered in Nagaland since 1947, who are in danger in India. Over 
250,000 Sikhs have been murdered since 1984, and well over 70,000 
Kashmiri Muslims since 1988, as well as tens of thousands of other 
minorities by Indian security forces. We cannot accept this kind of 
brutality and tyranny from a government that claims to be democratic.
  Last year, India denied the U.N. Special Rapporteurs on torture and 
extrajudicial killings permission to visit the country. And since the 
1970's, Amnesty International & other human rights groups have been 
barred from areas in India. Even Cuba allows Amnesty in! In 1999 Human 
Rights Watch issued their annual report that noted, ``Despite 
government claims that `normalcy' has returned to Kashmir, Indian 
troops in the state continue to carry out summary executions, 
disappearances, rape and torture''. (Human Rights Watch Report; India: 
Human Rights Abuses Fuel Conflict, July 1, 1999.)
  And, while the Prime Minister talks today about a strong relationship 
with the U.S., just last year his Defense Minister led a meeting with 
Cuba, China, Iraq, Serbia, Russia, and Libya to construct a security 
alliance. The Indian Express quoted the Defense Minister in explaining 
that this security alliance was intended ``to stop the U.S.''
  India is not a country to be trusted. India introduced the nuclear 
arms race to South Asia, it supported the Soviet invasion of 
Afghanistan and it votes against us in the United Nations. Its time 
that India clean up its human rights violations and ends its anti-
Americanism. And, let Kashmir determine its own fate as it was promised 
nearly 50 years ago to by offering a referendum for self-determination. 
If it is a democracy, it should let its own people vote on their 
future.
  Mr. Speaker, a bipartisan group of 17 Members of Congress, including 
myself, have written a letter to President Clinton urging him to press 
the Prime Minister on issues of self-determination for Khalistan, human 
rights, and release of political prisoners. I'd like to submit a copy 
of the letter into the Record, as well as a press release from the 
Council of Khalistan that sheds more light on the issue.

                                    Congress of the United States,
                               Washington, DC, September 12, 2000.
     Hon. Bill Clinton,
     President of the United States,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari 
     VaJpayee will be visiting you from September 13 to September 
     17. It is important that you press him on the issue of the 
     persecution of Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, and other 
     minorities by the Indian government.
       Press Trust of India reported on August 25 that a Christian 
     priest in Gujarat was kidnapped, tortured, and paraded 
     through town naked. This attack was not an isolated incident. 
     Since Christmas 1998, priests have been murdered, nuns have 
     been raped, a missionary and his two sons were burned to 
     death in their van by members of the RSS, which is the parent 
     organization of the ruling BJP, schools and prayer halls have 
     been attacked and destroyed. Yet the Indian government 
     refuses to take any action against the people who perpetrate 
     these atrocities.
       During your trip to India, 35 Sikhs were murdered in the 
     village of Chithi Singhpora, Kashmir. The Ludhiana-based 
     International Human Rights Organization investigated this and 
     separately the Movement Against State Repression and the 
     Punjab Human Rights Organization conducted an investigation. 
     Both of these investigations have proven that the Indian 
     government carried out this massacre. The Indian government 
     has admitted that the five Muslims they killed on the claim 
     that they were responsible for the massacre were innocent. 
     Now they have arrested two more people, claiming that they 
     were responsible for this massacre. Yet despite the fact that 
     so-called ``militant'' groups almost always claim 
     responsibility for incidents they are responsible for, nobody 
     has emerged to claim responsibility for the killings in 
     Chithi Singhpora.
       The Politics of Genocide by Indejit Singh Jaijee reports 
     that the Indian government has murdered more than 250,000 
     Sikhs since 1984. These figures were derived from figures put 
     out by the Punjab State Magistracy. India has also killed 
     more than 200,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1947, over 
     70,000 Kashmiri Muslims since 1988, and tens of thousands of 
     Dalits, Assamese, Tamils, Manipuris, and others. According to 
     Amnesty International, there are thousands of political 
     prisoners being held in illegal detention without charge or 
     trial in ``the world's largest democracy.''
       India is a hostile country. Last year the Indian Defense 
     Minister led a meeting with Cuba, China, Iraq, Serbia, 
     Russia, and Libya to construct a security alliance ``to stop 
     the U.S.'' India openly supported the Soviet invasion of 
     Afghanistan. It tested five nuclear warheads, beginning the 
     nuclear arms race to South Asia. And it refuses to allow the

[[Page E1532]]

     Sikhs, Kashmiris, Christians, and other minority nations and 
     peoples decide their own political future in a free and fair 
     vote, as democratic countries do. America has repeatedly 
     granted this opportunity to Puerto Rico and Canada has 
     permitted Quebec to do so. Why can't the ``world's largest 
     democracy'' settle these issues the democratic way?
       America is the bastion of freedom for the world. We cannot 
     accept this kind of brutality and tyranny from a government 
     that claims to be democratic. We call on you to press Prime 
     Minister Vajpayee on the issues of human rights and self-
     determination for Khanistan, Christian Nagalim, Kashmir, and 
     all the minority nations and peoples living under Indian 
     rule.
           Sincerely,
         Edolphus Towns, Donald M. Payne, Wally Herger, Lincoln 
           Diaz-Balart, Cynthia McKinney, Dan Burton, James 
           Traficant, John T. Doolittle, James Rogan, James 
           Oberstar, Peter King, Roscoe Bartlett, Randy ``Duke'' 
           Cunningham, Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, Philip M. Crane, 
           Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, George P. Radanovich.

                                  ____
                                  

                  [Press Release Council of Khalistan]

             U.S. Congress: India Is a ``Hostile Country''


     Letter Urges President to Press Indian Prime Minister on Self-
    Determination for Khalistan, Human Rights, Release of Political 
                               Prisoners

       Washington, D.C., September 13, 2000--A bipartisan group of 
     17 Members of the U.S. Congress have written a letter to 
     President Clinton urging him to press Indian Prime Minister 
     Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who arrives for a state visit today, on 
     issues of self-determination for Khalistan, human rights, 
     andrelease of political prisoners. The letter called India 
     ``a hostile country.''
       ``We call on you to press Prime Minister Vajpayee on the 
     issues of human rights and self-determination for Khalistan, 
     Christian Nagalim, Kashmir, and all the minority nations and 
     peoples living under Indian rule,'' the Members of Congress 
     wrote. The Members noted the recent incident in which a 
     priest in Gujarat was kidnapped, tortured, and dragged naked 
     through the streets. This incident is part of a pattern of 
     repression against Christians that has been going on since 
     Christmas 1998, they noted. They also took note of the 
     massacre of 35 Sikhs in Chithi Singhpora during the 
     President's visit to India in March, which two independent 
     investigations have proven was carried out by the Indian 
     government. They wrote about the murders of over 250,000 
     Sikhs since 1984, over 70,000 Muslims since 1988, more than 
     200,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1947, and tens of 
     thousands of other minorities by the Indian government. ``We 
     cannot accept this kind of brutality and tyranny from a 
     government that claims to be democratic,'' they wrote.
       They also wrote, ``India is a hostile country. Last year 
     the Indian Defense Minister led a meeting with Cuba, China, 
     Iraq, Serbia, Russia, and Libya to construct a security 
     alliance `to stop the U.S.,'' they noted. They also wrote 
     that India introduced the nuclear arms race to South Asia and 
     that it supported the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
       The lead sponsor of the letter was Representative Edolphus 
     Towns (D-NY). Other co-signers include Representative Wally 
     Herger (R-Cal.); Representative Donald M. Payne (D-NJ); 
     Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.); Representative 
     Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.); Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-
     Md.); Representative Dan Burton (R-Ind.), chairman of the 
     Government Reform and Oversight Committee; Representative 
     Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-Cal.); Representative James 
     Traficant (D-Ohio); Representative Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-
     American Samoa); Representative John T. Doolittle (R-Cal.); 
     Representative Philip M. Crane (R-Ill.); Representative James 
     Rogan (R-Cal.); Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.); 
     Representative James Oberstar (D-Minn.); Representative 
     George P. Radanovich (R-Cal.); and Representative Peter King 
     (R-NY).
       Indian security forces have murdered over 250,000 Sikhs 
     since 1984, according to figures compiled by the Punjab State 
     Magistracy and human-rights organizations. These figures were 
     published in The Politics of Genocide by Inderjit Singh 
     Jaijee. About 50,000 Sikh political prisoners are rotting in 
     Indian jails without charge or trial. Many have been in 
     illegal custody since 1984. India is in gross violation of 
     international law. Since 1984, India has engaged in a 
     campaign of ethnic cleansing in which about 50,000 Sikhs were 
     murdered by the police and secretly cremated, according to 
     Justice Ajit Singh Bains, chairman of the Punjab Human Rights 
     Organization, in an interview broadcast on ``Ankhila Punjab'' 
     radio in Toronto, Canada. The Indian Supreme Court described 
     this campaign as ``worse than a genocide.''
       ``On behalf of half a million Sikhs in the United States, I 
     would like to thank Congressman Towns and every Member who 
     signed this letter,'' said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President 
     of the Council of Khalistan, the government pro tempore of 
     Khalistan, the Sikh homeland that declared its independence 
     from India on October 7, 1987. ``We thank our friends in both 
     parties for their support for freedom in South Asia. This 
     letter can help focus the attention of the United States and 
     India on the important democratic values of self-
     determination and human rights,'' he said. ``The willingness 
     of these Members of Congress to call India a hostile country 
     also advances freedom in South Asia by helping to frustrate 
     India's drive for hegemony in the region,'' he said. He 
     predicted that ``the breakup of India draws closer every day 
     and Khalistan will be free in this decade.''

     

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