[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 127 (Friday, July 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CAMBODIA DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. STEVE CHABOT

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 25, 2018

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5754, the 
Cambodia Democracy Act of 2018. As the Republican Co-Chair of the 
Congressional Caucus on Cambodia and an original cosponsor of this 
legislation and I believe it is critical that Congress support the 
people of Cambodia in their march toward democracy. I want to thank 
Congressman Lowenthal, the Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional 
Caucus on Cambodia, Chairman Royce, and Chairman Yoho for their work on 
this important legislation.
  Throughout his 30-year rule, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has 
routinely stifled Cambodia's progress toward democracy. Last year, he 
began his latest crackdown because he knew that given the chance, the 
Cambodian people would elect someone else. He began by uprooting civil 
society organizations. This included cracking down on newspapers such 
as the Cambodia Daily and outlets like Radio Free Asia and Voice of 
America as well as forcing the National Democratic Institute to leave 
the country. Then he started peddling the ridiculous story that the 
United States was trying to orchestrate a coup. Then he threw Kem 
Sokah--leader of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) and his 
principal opponent--in prison. Hun Sen proceeded to disband the CNRP, 
bar its MPs from serving in public office, and cause many of them to 
flee into exile. Due to these crimes, there can be no doubt Cambodia's 
so-called elections this Sunday will not be free or fair. At present 
Cambodia can no longer be called a democracy, whatever its dictator 
wants to claim.
  H.R. 5754 is simple. It would sanction those individuals who are 
responsible for crushing democracy in Cambodia to encourage them to 
reverse their actions, to show our support for the Cambodian people, 
and to demonstrate that we will not stand idly by when democracy is 
squashed around the world. I would urge my colleges to support this 
measure.

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