IA

100TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION

H. J. RES. 602

In support of the restoration of a free and independent Cambodia and the protection of the Cambodian people from a return to power by the genocidal Khmer Rouge.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 30, 1988

Mr. ATKINS (for himself, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. COEHLO, Mr. SOLARZ, Mr. LEACH of Iowa, Mr. RIDGE, and Mr. DORNAN of California) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

JOINT RESOLUTION

In support of the restoration of a free and independent Cambodia and the protection of the Cambodian people from a return to power by the genocidal Khmer Rouge.

Whereas the people of Cambodia suffered terribly under the despotic regime of the Khmer Rouge and subsequently during the occupation by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam;

Whereas the people of Cambodia have been victims of genocide, enslavement, starvation, and other deliberate acts of cruelty perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge, resulting in the deaths of over one million Cambodian people;

Whereas the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has maintained armed forces within Cambodia, thereby perpetuating their

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domination and forestalling the realization of self-determination by the Cambodian people;

Whereas the Vietnamese-installed Government of the People's Republic of Kampuchea has seriously abused the human and civil rights of the Cambodian people;

Whereas due to fears of persecution in their homeland, hundreds of thousands of Cambodians have become refugees or displaced persons, seeking first asylum in other Southeast Asian nations and subsequent resettlement in third countries;

Whereas the United States has supported the non-Communist resistance led by Prince Norodom Sihanouk and Son Sann in order to end the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia and recover for the Cambodian people their sovereign rights; Whereas Prince Norodom Sihanouk has with courage and conviction devoted his energies to restoring his homeland to independence, neutrality, peace, and harmony;

Whereas the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has declared its in

tention to withdraw forces from Cambodia by the end of 1990 and has pledged to join negotiations for a resolution of the Cambodian question;

Whereas dialogue and diplomatic discussions have increased on a regional and international basis concerning the future of Cambodia;

Whereas the stability of Southeast Asia can only be assured once peace is restored to Cambodia and the rights of the Cambodian people are universally respected; and

Whereas it is a moral imperative of all nations that the people of Cambodia no longer be made to suffer at the hands of the Khmer Rouge or any other force that would do further

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harm to the Khmer people or further endanger their cultural and religious heritage: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 That the United States

(1) declares that all parties seeking a settlement of the conflict in Cambodia, including the United

States, should have among their highest priorities the

restoration of a free and independent Cambodia and the protection of the Cambodian people from a return to power by the genocidal Khmer Rouge;

(2) calls on the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the context of a negotiated settlement to fully withdraw its armed forces from Cambodia, and further calls on all parties to respect the territorial integrity of Cambodia and to deny safe haven to Khmer Rouge forces seeking the overthrow of a newly formed sovereign Cambodian government;

(3) implores those nations continuing to arm the Khmer Rouge to cease the flow of war materiel and the accumulation of caches of arms that might ultimately be used to terrorize the Cambodian people and to threaten a legitimate government of Cambodia;

(4) declares that the United States must remain

vigilant to ensure that genocide is never tolerated or forgotten anywhere in the world and that those respon

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sible for such heinous crimes should be held accounta

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ble under international law, as prescribed by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the

Crime of Genocide;

(5) declares that the United States in cooperation with the international community should use all means available to prevent a return to power of Pol Pot, the top echelon of the Khmer Rouge, and their armed forces, so that the Cambodian people might genuinely be free to pursue self-determination without the spectre of the coercion, intimidation, and torture that are known elements of the Khmer Rouge ideology;

(6) calls on the President to seek inclusion, in declarations and resolutions promulgated by the United

Nations pertaining to the Cambodian conflict, the principle that those responsible for acts of genocide and massive violations of internationally recognized human rights shall not return to positions of state power in Cambodia upon withdrawal of the foreign occupation forces;

(7) declares that the United States, in conjunction with the member nations of the Association of South

east Asia Nations (ASEAN), should continue to pro

vide assistance, support, and encouragement to the

non-Communist Cambodian forces, particularly their ef

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forts to achieve a negotiated settlement that would permit self-determination for the Cambodian people and

the return of refugees in safety and dignity to their homeland; and

(8) declares that the United States, in consultation with the member nations of the Association of South

east Asia Nations, should consider whether such a settlement could be facilitated by the convening of an international conference on Cambodia and the provision of an international peacekeeping force that could supervise the withdrawal of Vietnamese forces and the holding of free and fair elections in Cambodia.

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