Speech #930053499

I think the amendment fails to realize the true impact of the bombing of Cambodia in recent times. If our policy was only to engage the military element in Cambodia. North Vietnam. and Khmer Rouge that have been threatening the government. the fact remains that it has also helped to create some 3 million refugees and some 200.000 orphans in Cambodia. If our bombing policy is only to engage the military element. we are doing a pretty shabby job. because the statistics show that we are killing civilians and creating large numbers of refugees as well. A great human tragedy has been experienced by the innocent of Cambodia. It is a tragedy that is being created by American bombers. The Taft amendment fails to address itself to the enormous tragedy that has taken place among the civilians in Indochina. The Defense Department has said time and time again that our bombing policy is directed only to military targets. but all we have to do is look at the various refugee reports. the GAO reports. the U.S. official reports. the AID reports. to see how our bombing policy has resulted in more refugees. civilian casualties. and orphans in Cambodia. as well as in North Vietnam and Laos. as a result of socalled military bombing. The Taft amendment fails to address this whole problem. That. along with the reasons outlined by the majority leader and the Senator from Missouri is sufficient to defeat the amendment.