Herb Kohl: “I want to speak on the miscellaneous tariffs bill. Last spring, Senator Feingold and I sent a letter to the minority…”

“I want to speak on the miscellaneous tariffs bill. Last spring, Senator Feingold and I sent a letter to the minority leader making it clear we would object to taking up S. 2200, a bill granting NTR status to Laos because of the human rights situation there. At the time we said: Reports emerging from Laos remain disturbing. Journalists, human rights groups, and many of our constituents inform us that the Laos government continues to be responsible for serious human rights violations, and that conditions are particularly difficult for the Hmong ethnic group. The situation in Laos has not changed, and, in fact, over the last several months more disturbing evidence has emerged that now is not the time for us to appear to be rewarding one of the most closed and repressive regimes. For the first time, we have independent corroboration of the types of charges which have been made by many Hmong residents of my State for years and by others who have fled Laos more recently. On September 13, 2004, Amnesty International issued a report entitled 'Military Atrocities Against Hmong Children Are War Crimes.'”