[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 25, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S142-S143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    CONCERN FOR JUSTICE IN CAMBODIA

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of Senate Resolution 353, which was 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The resolution (S. Res. 353) expressing concern with the 
     deliberate undermining of democratic freedoms and justice in 
     Cambodia by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Government of 
     Cambodia.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. Today, the Prime Minister of Cambodia dropped the criminal 
defamation lawsuits against five government critics and human rights 
advocates.
  Along with the administration, I welcome the Prime Minister's 
decision and applaud his efforts to recognize the right of free 
political exchange. I am hopeful that today's action represents 
progress and a greater commitment to human rights and civil society on 
the part of the ruling authority.
  In recent months, we have had cause for alarm that the Government of 
Cambodia is engaged in a campaign of political persecution and 
intimidation. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his apparatus have 
consistently and blatantly violated basic democratic principles, the 
rule of law, and human rights as enshrined in the Cambodian 
Constitution.
  Tonight, the Senate stands unified in calling upon Prime Minister Sen 
and the government of Cambodia: To immediately cease and desist from 
its systematic campaign to undermine democracy, the rule of law, and 
human rights; to immediately release all political prisoners and drop 
all politically motivated charges against opponents of the government; 
and to demonstrate through word and deed the government's commitment to 
democracy, the rule of law, and human rights;
  We also call upon the King of Cambodia to play a more active and 
constructive role in protecting the constitutional rights of Cambodian 
citizens. And we urge international donors and multilateral 
organizations, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, 
and the United Nations, to hold the Prime Minister and his government 
fully accountable for actions that undermine the investment of 
international donors in the democratic and economic development of 
Cambodia.
  I would like to thank Senator McConnell and Senator McCain for their 
leadership and commitment to the people of Cambodia. They deserve 
special recognition for their unflagging support.
  Let me close with a report today in the International Herald Tribune. 
At a recent gathering of 800 impoverished farmers and townspeople in a 
village south of the capitol of Phnom Penh, an elderly Cambodian woman 
asked:

       I have a question for government. You talk about democracy, 
     but how much right do the people of Cambodia have to speak 
     out? If we speak out, will we be arrested like Kem Sokha?

  I put that question to Prime Minister Hun Sen. Will the people be 
allowed to speak out as free citizens in an open and just democracy? 
The people of Cambodia want to know. And on their behalf, the U.S. 
Senate demands an answer.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be 
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 353) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 353

       Whereas the United States affirms its support and respect 
     for the welfare, human rights and dignity of the people of 
     Cambodia;
       Whereas, under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen, 
     the Government of Cambodia has engaged in a systematic 
     campaign to undermine the democratic opposition, stifle 
     critics of the Government, and silence and intimidate civil 
     society in Cambodia;
       Whereas, despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of 
     expression and association in Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun 
     Sen and the Government of Cambodia have consistently and 
     blatantly violated basic democratic principles, the rule of 
     law, and human rights in Cambodia;
       Whereas the United States, the United Nations, and other 
     international donors have publicly expressed concern with 
     Prime Minister Hun Sen's authoritarian conduct (including 
     inappropriate influence and control over the judiciary) and 
     the official corruption and climate of impunity that exist in 
     Cambodia today;
       Whereas evidence of the campaign to undermine the 
     democratic opposition in Cambodia is found in the revocation 
     of parliamentary immunity of opposition leaders Sam Rainsy, 
     Chea Poch, and Cheam Channy, and the 7-year prison sentence 
     of Cheam Channy for allegedly forming ``a secret army to 
     overthrow the government'' and 18-month sentence in absentia 
     of Sam Rainsy on charges of allegedly defaming Prime Minister 
     Hun Sen;
       Whereas evidence of the campaign to stifle critics of the 
     Government of Cambodia is found in the detention and charges 
     of criminal defamation of radio journalist Mom Sonando and 
     Rong Chhum, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers 
     Association;
       Whereas the decision by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the 
     Government of Cambodia on January 25, 2006, to drop all 
     charges against Mom Sonando, Rong Chhum, Kem Sokha, and Pa 
     Nguon is a welcome step, but does little to alleviate the 
     underlying climate of intimidation in Cambodia;
       Whereas evidence of the campaign to silence and intimidate 
     civil society is found in the arrest and detention of human 
     rights activist Kem Sokha, Yeng Virak, and Pa Nguon on 
     charges of criminal defamation;
       Whereas other champions of democracy in Cambodia, including 
     former parliamentarian Om Radsady and labor leader Chea 
     Vichea, were brutally murdered in Cambodia, and no one has 
     been brought to justice for committing these heinous crimes;
       Whereas Cambodia is a donor dependant country, and more 
     than $2,000,000,000 has been invested by donors in the 
     democratic development of that country; and
       Whereas the current atmosphere of intimidation and fear 
     calls into question the viability of the Khmer Rouge 
     Tribunal: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) affirms the support and respect of the United States 
     for the welfare, human rights, and dignity of the people of 
     Cambodia;
       (2) calls on Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Government of 
     Cambodia to immediately cease and desist from its systematic 
     campaign to undermine democracy, the rule of law, and human 
     rights in Cambodia;
       (3) calls on Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Government of 
     Cambodia to immediately release all political prisoners and 
     drop all politically motivated charges against opponents of 
     the government;
       (4) calls on Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Government of 
     Cambodia to demonstrate through words and deed the 
     government's commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and 
     human rights in Cambodia;

[[Page S143]]

       (5) calls upon the King of Cambodia to play a more active 
     and constructive role in protecting the constitutional rights 
     of all Cambodian citizens; and
       (6) urges international donors and multilateral 
     organizations, including the World Bank, the Asian 
     Development Bank, and the United Nations, to hold Prime 
     Minister Hun Sen and the Government of Cambodia fully 
     accountable for actions that undermine the investment of 
     international donors in the democratic and economic 
     development of Cambodia.

     

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