[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 24172-24173]
[From the U.S. 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, 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;

[[Page 24173]]

       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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