Russ Feingold: “By taking this up and passing it at this time, we signal that congressional concern about the deplorable human rights…”

“By taking this up and passing it at this time, we signal that congressional concern about the deplorable human rights situation in Laos will be intense and ongoing. As I have discussed today, I hear regular reports from constituents distraught about the conditions faced by their relatives in Laos. This is especially wrenching--and this is the point we have been trying to make all day--when we remember that the Hmong communities reportedly targeted for abuse are the same communities that worked side by side with U.S. forces during the Vietnam war. We simply cannot ignore the dismal human rights situation in Laos and be the country and the people we wish to be. This resolution expresses the Senate's hope--hope--that a more open society will develop in Laos in the wake of the extension of NTR. Certainly this is my hope, although I, frankly, really see no reason to believe it will happen.”