Young Oak Kim: “And I rise today in strong support of the Cambodia Democracy Act, which was introduced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.…”

“And I rise today in strong support of the Cambodia Democracy Act, which was introduced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot). As a cosponsor and as an advocate for the Cambodian community in southern California, I am especially proud to speak on this measure today. The people of Cambodia have been living under the iron-fisted rule of Hun Sen for decades. Under his reign, he has denied Cambodians almost all of their political rights and prevented free and fair elections from taking place. In recent years, Hun Sen has resorted to violence and attacked peaceful protesters. He has undermined Cambodia's democracy by dismantling the country's only viable opposition party. The work of NGOs has also been limited, and critical media outlets have been shut down. Like many other dictators, he fears the day when he will no longer be in power. As the beacon of hope and freedom to the rest of the world, a key pillar of our foreign policy must be to support the expansion of democracy in other countries. The Cambodia Democracy Act will help push back on Hun Sen's regime by applying asset blocking and visa sanctions on any government officials or security forces who have undermined the democratic process or committed human rights abuses. The strong bipartisan bill has passed the House in successive Congresses and is a touchstone of congressional support for the people of Cambodia and their desire to democratic governance.…”