Tom Lantos: “Mr. Speaker, I again want to commend my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), and reaffirm my strong…”

“Mr. Speaker, I again want to commend my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), and reaffirm my strong support for his legislation. The Philippines are great friends of ours. Their struggle against terrorism is our struggle. Their future in Asia guarantees that stability and prosperity; but most importantly, democracy will prevail in an important Asian country. And I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support the legislation. Before yielding back my time, I would like to put a face on land mine victims. This young man is Wazir Hammond. He was injured by a land mine in Afghanistan just a few years ago. He is now 9 years old. And every 6 months he requires a prosthesis refitting. He is representative of the tens and tens of thousands of children and adults who are desperately hoping that we will be able to participate in a global effort to give our fellow human beings who have lost a leg or an arm or two legs or two arms an opportunity to put their lives back together again. I call on the Republican leadership of the United States House of Representatives to schedule for debate and vote the Land Mine Victims Assistance Act, passed unanimously by the House Committee on International Relations and enjoying the support of all Republicans and all Democrats on that committee.”