Ed Royce: “I rise also to support this resolution commemorating the 175th anniversary of the special relationship that we have with…”

“I rise also to support this resolution commemorating the 175th anniversary of the special relationship that we have with the Kingdom of Thailand. I am an original cosponsor of this resolution, but I think this resolution rightly points out the improving security relationship between our two countries. What I would like to share with my colleagues here today is the growing cooperation in law enforcement that we are having with Thailand. Madam Speaker, last week, Viktor Bout, the most notorious of international arms dealers, was brought into custody by Thai authorities. A criminal complaint was unsealed in New York detailing Viktor Bout's efforts to sell mass amounts of weapons to the FARC, a foreign terrorist organization that operates in Colombia. He was arrested in the final stages of arranging a sale of millions of dollars of high-powered weapons, including 100 advanced shoulder-fired missiles capable of taking out airliners. With the cooperation of Thai authorities, the 'Merchant of Death,' as Viktor Bout is known, is out of the game. He is being retired from the role he has played in the killings and maimings around the world. And this is good news to anyone who cares about checking strife in Africa, anyone who cares about stopping those who armed child soldiers, anyone who cares about checking support for transnational terrorists.”