Speech #990064045

Chairman. I rise today to bring to the attention of my colleagues the plight of Cambodian. Vietnamese and Laotian refugees in Thailand and urge support of an amendment I am offering with the support of my colleagues Congressman JIM LEACH and Congressman STEPHEN SOLARZ. We are concerned about the humanitarian needs of thousands of people who have been displaced as a result of the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia. I recently met with members of Concerned Virginians for Cambodian Families who told me of their personal experiences in Thailand. During this meeting I heard accounts of the tragic crimes which occur against Cambodians in Khao I Dang refugee camp. They described grotesque crimes. including rape. torture. and murder. These Virginians receive news from their relatives who have remained in Thailand indicating that the crimes continue to occur. However. the Western World does not receive news of these crimes because foreign observers are not present in the camps at night. when most of the crimes take place. My amendment expresses the sense of Congress that the protection be provided to the refugees. Additionally. representatives from international humanitarian relief organizations should be allowed to remain in these camps 24 hours a day as witnesses to offer some assurance to the western world that protection is provided to those seeking refuge n the camps. Residence aspects of the camps is also of great concern. It is vital that camps. such as Khao I Dang. remain open as a camp qualifying under United Nations High Commission on Refugee requirements. Cambodians and Laotians currently in these camps. both registered and unregistered. should be permitted to remain there. Those who are unwilling and afraid to go back to the border or to Cambodia should not be involuntarily repatriated or otherwise put at risk. Additionally. my amendment would provide for a comprehensive review of all displaced persons who have not been allowed to register at refugee camps. it is my hope that this review would result in registration of all of those people in need of medical and nutritional assistance. Without this reevaluation. denial of registration privileges. which is vital in obtaining food from camp authorities. may continue. A review of the Cambodian cases which have been rejected for admission to the United States is also appropriate in light of concerns raised that previous review of some cases was inadequate. In the climate of fear in which most Cambodians lived during 197579. many learned that authorities could not be trusted. Later. when interviewed by U.S. Immigration personnel. fear was foremost in the minds of these same Cambodians. They were easily intimidated by authority figures and often could not adequately present their cases. resulting in their rejection. Equally important is the repeated consideration of family reunification cases. I frequently talk to residents of the 10th Congressional District of Virginia who plead for assistance in bringing their families to the United States to Join them. Many indicate that if their cases were reconsidered. they believe that their families would be permitted to Join them.