[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12310-12312]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRACY, AND THE RULE OF LAW IN CAMBODIA

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 728) supporting human rights, democracy, and the 
rule of law in Cambodia, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 728

       Whereas since the Paris Peace Accords in 1991, Cambodia has 
     undergone a gradual, partial, and unsteady transition to 
     democracy, including elections and multiparty government;
       Whereas Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power in 
     Cambodia uninterrupted since 1985 and is the longest-serving 
     leader in Southeast Asia;
       Whereas Freedom House rated Cambodia as ``Not Free'' in its 
     ``Freedom in the World 2015'' report, noting that ``political 
     opposition is restricted'', ``harassment or threats against 
     opposition supporters are not uncommon'', ``freedom of speech 
     is not fully protected'', and ``the government's tolerance 
     for freedoms of association and assembly has declined in 
     recent years'';
       Whereas Cambodia held a general election on July 28, 2013, 
     though widespread reports of irregularities largely related 
     to the voter lists bring into question the integrity of the 
     election;
       Whereas a coalition of election monitors, including the 
     National Democratic Institute (NDI), Transparency 
     International Cambodia, and other domestic and international 
     organizations, in a joint report on the 2013 election found 
     ``significant challenges that undermined the credibility of 
     the process'';
       Whereas Transparency International Cambodia, a nonprofit, 
     nonpartisan organization, conducted a survey during the 2013 
     election that found at 60 percent of polling stations, 
     citizens with proper identification were not allowed to vote;
       Whereas the Cambodian National Election Committee (NEC) was 
     accused of lack of independence and pro-government bias 
     during its oversight of the 2013 election;
       Whereas the composition of the NEC was changed after the 
     2013 election to include equal membership from both political 
     parties, and the NEC's continued independence is essential to 
     free and fair elections;
       Whereas the United States Congress has taken steps to 
     protect democracy and human rights in Cambodia, making 
     certain 2014 foreign aid funds intended to Cambodia 
     conditioned upon the Government of Cambodia conducting an 
     independent and credible investigation into the 
     irregularities associated with the July 28, 2013, 
     parliamentary elections and reforming the NEC or when all 
     parties have agreed to join the National Assembly to conduct 
     business;
       Whereas United States aid to Cambodia has funded work in 
     areas including development assistance, civil society, global 
     health, and the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, largely via 
     nongovernmental organizations (NGOs);
       Whereas both NDI and the International Republican Institute 
     (IRI) operate in Cambodia, engaging local partners and 
     building capacity for civil society, democracy, and good 
     governance;
       Whereas the Government of Cambodia has acted to restrict 
     the right to freely assemble and protest, including the 
     following instances;
       Whereas, on January 3, 2014, Cambodian security forces 
     violently cracked down on protests of garment workers, 
     killing 4 people in Phnom Penh;
       Whereas, on March 31, 2014, Cambodian police beat 
     protestors with batons and clubs during a protest calling for 
     a license for the independent Beehive Radio to establish a 
     television channel;
       Whereas in August 2015, the Government of Cambodia passed 
     the ``Law on Associations and Non-Governmental 
     Organizations'' which threatens to restrict the development 
     of civil society by requiring registration and government 
     approval of both domestic and international NGOs;
       Whereas, on October 26, 2015, 2 opposition lawmakers, 
     including dual United States citizen Nhay Chamreoun, were 
     violently attacked by pro-government protestors in front of 
     the National Assembly;
       Whereas, on November 16, 2015, the standing committee of 
     the National Assembly expelled leader of the parliamentary 
     opposition and President of the Cambodian National Rescue 
     Party (CNRP) Sam Rainsy and revoked his parliamentary 
     immunity;
       Whereas Mr. Rainsy is the subject of a Government of 
     Cambodia investigation of 7-year-old defamation charges 
     against him which is widely believed to be politically 
     motivated;
       Whereas the United States Embassy in Cambodia has publicly 
     called on the Government of Cambodia to revoke the arrest 
     warrant issued against Mr. Rainsy, allow all opposition 
     lawmakers to ``return to Cambodia without fear of arrest and 
     persecution'', and ``to take immediate steps to guarantee a 
     political space free from threats or intimidation in 
     Cambodia'';
       Whereas political advocate and anti-corruption activist Kem 
     Ley was shot and killed in Phnom Penh on July 10, 2016;
       Whereas the Government of Cambodia continues efforts to 
     prosecute CNRP leaders on politically-motivated charges, 
     bringing Mr. Sokha's case to trial in Phnom Penh; and
       Whereas national elections in 2018 will be closely watched 
     to ensure openness and fairness, and to monitor whether all 
     political parties and civil society are allowed to freely 
     participate: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
     promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in 
     Cambodia;
       (2) condemns all forms of political violence in Cambodia 
     and urges the cessation of ongoing human rights violations;
       (3) calls on the Government of Cambodia to respect freedom 
     of the press and the rights of its citizens to freely 
     assemble, protest, and speak out against the government;
       (4) supports electoral reform efforts in Cambodia and free 
     and fair elections in 2018 monitored by international 
     observers; and
       (5) urges Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's 
     Party to--
       (A) end all harassment and intimidation of Cambodia's 
     opposition;
       (B) drop all politically motivated charges against 
     opposition lawmakers;
       (C) allow them to return to Cambodia and freely participate 
     in the political process; and
       (D) foster an environment where democracy can thrive and 
     flourish.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include any extraneous material in the Record.

[[Page 12311]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am rising here in strong support for H. Res. 728, 
supporting human rights and democracy and the rule of law in Cambodia.
  We have all seen the consequences of land grabbing and the 
destruction of human liberty in that country. I want to thank the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal), my colleague, for 
introducing this resolution. I want to thank him for his advocacy for 
the people of Cambodia.
  Mr. Speaker, since Cambodia held its deeply flawed elections in 2013, 
we have seen significant attacks on those Cambodians peacefully 
opposing their government. Hun Sen's thuggish regime continues to crack 
down on the political opposition and on activists, and they continue to 
arrest and beat those who point out violations of freedom of speech, 
violations, frankly, of a stolen election.
  As noted in this resolution, Freedom House's most recent report card 
rated Cambodia as not free, noting restrictions on and the harassment 
of the government's political opposition. And that is putting it 
mildly. Last year opposition lawmaker and American citizen Nhay 
Chamroeun was severely and brutally attacked by plainclothes bodyguards 
who repeatedly kicked and stomped him. He was hospitalized for months.
  We have all seen the pictures of opposition figures who have been 
beaten and stomped and put in the hospital there. Several months later, 
Kem Ley, a popular Cambodian political commentator, was murdered in 
broad daylight for his outspoken protest of the regime. So much for 
freedom of speech in Cambodia.
  Then just last week, Hun Sen took yet another step to consolidate his 
grip on power, to make it impossible for people to run against him. He 
sentenced the de facto leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, 
Kem Sokha, to 5 months in prison on the spurious charge of refusing to 
appear for questioning in a politically motivated case that was brought 
against him. Although his sentence is short, the repercussions are 
dire, as convicted criminals are prohibited from holding office; and 
that, again, was what this was about: intimidation and trying to force 
a system where the opposition party leader already in exile would then 
be in a position where they couldn't run somebody against Hun Sen.
  Mr. Speaker, these attacks on the opposition must stop. This systemic 
persecution of the government's opposition completely undermines the 
legitimacy of upcoming local elections as well as the country's 2018 
national elections.
  Without the full and free participation of the CNRP, future elections 
will be deeply flawed and cannot be accepted. Hun Sen's continued 
attack on his political opponents is something we cannot accept, and 
for the sake of the Cambodian people, I urge my colleagues to adopt 
this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I also rise in support of this resolution.
  Let me, first of all, thank Mr. Lowenthal, a valued member of the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, for his hard work on this measure; and 
let me just thank the chairman of the committee, as well, for always 
cooperating with us on bipartisan resolutions and things that are for 
the good of the country. That is the way we try to conduct ourselves 
here.
  Mr. Speaker, for the last three decades, the people of Cambodia have 
hoped to see their country move toward a freer, more democratic system, 
but that progress has been halting and the results are incomplete. Hun 
Sen, that country's Prime Minister, has held on to power since 1985, 
making him currently the longest serving leader in Southeast Asia. 
Though elections are scheduled for 2018, it seems likely that the 
opposition party will endure the same sort of intimidation and 
harassment that it has for years.
  This lack of progress and accountability on the part of the Hun Sen 
government has meant that Cambodia remains one of the poorest and most 
corrupt countries in the region. Cambodia leans on China for imports 
and economic assistance and has adopted some of China's most draconian 
laws and practices as well.
  Despite these obstacles, the people of Cambodia remain remarkably 
resilient and entrepreneurial. For years the United States has provided 
development assistance to improve Cambodian human rights protections, 
bolster civil society, and improve health, education, and opportunity. 
These investments are paying dividends in the form of a new generation 
of bright, thoughtful Cambodian leaders who seek more for themselves 
and their fellow citizens. These young leaders, along with many 
reformers and activists, deserve to have their voices heard.
  I have been to Cambodia a few times, and it is especially poignant 
when you think of the terrible events, the killings there decades ago--
practically genocide--it is just intolerable, unthinkable, and 
unacceptable that Cambodia would still have these difficulties with all 
the things that the people of Cambodia have suffered.
  This resolution calls on the Government of Cambodia to push ahead 
with real and meaningful reform that will advance democracy. It calls 
for changes to the electoral system that would allow for truly free and 
fair elections. It calls on the Hun Sen government to act now so that 
the 2018 elections are transparent and credible, and it calls for the 
end of politically motivated harassment and violence against the people 
of Cambodia.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of Cambodia want and deserve real democracy 
for their country. They want to chart the course for their own future 
and live the lives they choose for themselves. This measure sends a 
strong message that the United States stands with them and wants to see 
them realize the democratic aspirations.
  Mr. Speaker, I am glad to support this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lowenthal), a valued member of our Committee on Foreign 
Affairs and the author of this resolution.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Engel for 
yielding.
  First, I want to acknowledge the great work and the collaboration 
from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to bring this resolution 
to the floor today. Chairman Royce has long been a champion on 
Cambodian issues, and this resolution would not have been possible 
without his support.
  I would also like to thank the Republican lead on this resolution, 
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, Chairman Matt 
Salmon; and also I would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Chabot), who joined with me in founding the Congressional Cambodia 
Caucus. I also, obviously, want to thank Ranking Member Engel for his 
support of the resolution.
  Recently, the Cambodian Government, as has been pointed out, presided 
over by Prime Minister Hun Sen for the past 31 years, has severely 
cracked down on political opposition and all forms of dissent in 
Cambodia.
  As we know, national elections in Cambodia in 2013 prolonged Hun 
Sen's grip on power, but they were marred by allegations of voting 
irregularities. After the election, Hun Sen's party and the opposition 
party agreed to a series of electoral reforms and power-sharing 
compromises.
  However, since that time, the Cambodian Government has undertaken a 
comprehensive campaign to undermine the political opposition. Last 
year, the Cambodian Government revived a 7-year-old defamation charge 
against the opposition leader, Mr. Sam Rainsy, expelling him from the 
Parliament and forcing him into self-imposed exile.
  The deputy leader, Kem Sokha, who is acting as the opposition's 
leader, has

[[Page 12312]]

been under effective house arrest at the party's headquarters in Phnom 
Penh, where he was facing charges that are similarly politically 
motivated, and recently he was convicted in court and is now serving 
time in jail.
  When I spoke to the deputy leader, he told me that he not only fears 
this arrest by the government, which has just taken place, but he truly 
fears for his life. And his fears are well founded. In July, as was 
pointed out, prominent political activist and outspoken critic of the 
government Kem Ley was brutally murdered in broad daylight in Phnom 
Penh.
  The passage of this resolution could not come at a more urgent time. 
The Cambodian Government has renewed its efforts to seek out, to 
harass, and to intimidate the leaders of the opposition. As I pointed 
out, last week Kem Sokha was tried and sentenced to 5 months in jail. 
In the lead-up to the trial, the government deployed security forces in 
the vicinity of the opposition party's headquarters.
  Hun Sen's strategy could not be more clear: intimidate and threaten 
arrest to silence the opposition in advance of local elections next 
year and national elections the following year.
  As long as these politically motivated charges remain outstanding, 
the current political climate in Cambodia is not one that will allow 
for free and fair elections. That is why it is so important for us to 
pass this resolution and show that the United States stands with the 
people of Cambodia. We will send an important signal to the Cambodian 
Government that political violence of any kind will not be tolerated 
and that the Cambodian people must be able to enjoy the freedom to 
choose their own leaders. Only under these conditions can elections in 
Cambodia be considered free and fair by the international community.
  Again, I want to thank all the Members who worked so closely with me 
to bring this resolution to the floor. I urge passage of this 
resolution to send a strong message that the United States supports 
human rights and supports democracy and the rule of law in Cambodia.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Let me again repeat: we all have high hopes for the future of 
democracy in Cambodia. We want to see the people there exercise real 
rights and determine the future for their country. We know that real 
democracy is the key to helping countries prosper. Real democracy makes 
governments more transparent and accountable. When citizens are allowed 
to fully participate in their political systems, governments become 
more responsive and do a better job at providing services and 
opportunity; countries become better equipped as partners on the global 
stage and centers of regional stability.

                              {time}  1545

  We know that Cambodia has this potential just waiting to be 
unleashed. So today, with this resolution, we are saying that we look 
forward to the day when democracy in Cambodia is allowed to flourish, 
and we hope that day comes soon. It is important to focus on Cambodia. 
We want to see that country make a change for the benefit of all its 
people.
  So I support this measure, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, Hun Sen and the 
Cambodian People's Party took yet another authoritarian step last week 
when they arrested and tried opposition leader Kem Sokha. In their 
attempts to consolidate power, they have utterly obliterated the 
opposition.
  Mr. Speaker, the long-suffering people of Cambodia deserve the 
opportunity to elect a government of their choosing. By attempting to 
disqualify and harassing all the political opposition, Hun Sen is 
denying the people this opportunity.
  By passing this resolution, Congress is sending a message to Hun Sen 
that the United States is watching and will not accept his brutality. 
It will send an important signal of support, I believe, to all 
Cambodians who wish to live under a government that respects the rights 
of the Cambodian people.
  I urge passage of the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 728, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________