Speech #920242320

Mr. President. on June 12. as chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Refugees. I spoke in this Chamber to express deep concern over developments in Burundi. Evidence pieced together by journalists and others told a story of bloody civil strife between two tribal groups in the preceding 6 weeks. It was a story of human suffering. refugees. and massacre of thousands. Some estimates put the death toll at 150.000 or more. At the time I made my statement. it was reported from several sourcesincluding the Department of Statethat the civil strife and slaughter had ended. that things in Burundi were under control. and the preparations were underway to meet emergency relief needs within Burundi and among the thousands of refugees who fled into neighboring countries. This optimistic assessment about Burundilike early assessments out of Bangladesh and elsewherewas apparently prematureif net an effort in some quarters to cover up another world tragedy involving suffering and death for thousands of our fellow human beings. For the record is now clearfrom nongovernmental and official sourcesthat the killing has continued. Reports within our own Government say that selective genocide has continued to take a heavy toll among the majority Hutu tribe in Burundi. In fact. very recent field reports to our Government say that the repression is continuing its ruthless coursethat many persons are being arrestedthat the criteria of the governments repression is unknown. but that it has now reached beyond the Hutu intellectual and leadership elements. of whom few are left. into the masses of villagers and refugees throughout the country. These reports also say that the meager government relief program is not uniformly administeredand that in certain cases where government authorities have given refugees an assurance of safe return to their home villages. the refugee males have been picked up and summarily slaughtered. The description in these reports of Burundi Government reprisals against the Hutus is gruesome and shocking. The reaction of the administration to this latest link in the chain of war ravaged populations around the globe is not encouraging. Once again massive human tragedyinvolving many deaths and the flight of refugees across international bordersis apparently viewed by our Government as an internal affair of Burundi. As I said on June 12. I fully appreciate the immense difficulties in the Burundi issue.