[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 134 (Friday, November 19, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11554-S11555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONDEMNING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN LAOS
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the
Senate proceed to the resolution, which is at the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 475) to condemn human rights abuses
in Laos.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, that the preamble be agreed to, that the
motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements
relating to this resolution be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 475) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 475
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,
[[Page S11555]]
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.
Mr. COLEMAN. I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.
Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, this is an issue in which I, Senators
Feingold, Coleman, and many others have taken a deep interest. I
believe this resolution is an important statement. It makes very clear,
when the Senate passes the miscellaneous tariff bill with Laos NTR,
that we still condemn the consistent pattern of serious human rights
abuses, and we will continue to press forward for increased access for
the Hmong and other ethnic minorities in remote areas of Laos.
I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.
Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues Senator Feingold and
Senator Coleman for permitting me to have this time and also to commend
them for their outstanding leadership regarding the violation of human
rights in Laos. I join with them in opposing the granting of permanent
trade relations for that country due to the oppression of Hmong and
other violations of human rights in Laos. I strongly support, proudly,
and am a cosponsor of their resolution to express the strong opposition
of the Senate to those continuing violations.
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