[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 58 (Thursday, May 5, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE KHMER ROUGE CAMBODIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 5, 2005

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, we solemnly commemorate the 30th 
Anniversary of the Khmer Rouge regime when they deliberately and 
systemically massacred millions of innocent Cambodians, with a large 
percentage of women and children. However, in the midst of this past 
sorrow, we have seen great hope as a result of the strength, 
resiliency, and courage of the Cambodian people. So while we mourn the 
loss, we celebrate the future filled with hope and promise.
  In 1975, Pol Pot led the Communist guerrilla group, the Khmer Rouge, 
in a large-scale insurgency that resulted in the removal of Cambodians 
from their homes and into labor camps in an attempt to restructure 
Khmer society. The Khmer Rouge maintained control by mass public 
tortures and executions. Families were separated. Men, women and young 
children were sent into labor camps and forced to do strenuous farm 
work with very little food. Famine and disease were epidemic while 
health care was non-existent. Between April 1975 and January 1979 more 
than 1.7 million Cambodians were killed.
  When the Khmer Rouge was overthrown in 1979, thousands of Cambodians 
fled to nearby refugee camps, and over 145,000 Cambodians made their 
way to the United States. With the assistance of the Federal 
government, state, local, and voluntary agencies, Cambodians were 
resettled in communities across America.
  Despite the tremendous loss of family members, home, and even parts 
of their heritage, Cambodians have shown enormous resiliency. I am 
proud that the largest Cambodian population in the United States 
resides in my District. Their culture and contributions have enriched 
our communities and the American landscape.
  Finally, Cambodians have been waiting for the past twenty-five years 
for the Khmer Rouge perpetrators to be brought to justice. Just a few 
days ago, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan declared that UN-Cambodian 
agreement funding requirements had been met and there is now enough 
funds to finance the Tribunal's staffing and operations for a sustained 
period of time.
  This means that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, only a dream for twenty-
five years, will now become a reality. This means that the Cambodians 
can finally find closure on this brutal part of their history. As 
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ``The moral arc of the universe is long, 
but it bends towards justice.''

                          ____________________