III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 65 

Calling for the Government of Cambodia to release Cheam Channy from 

prison, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 17, 2005 

Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself and Mr. MCCONNELL) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION

Calling for the Government of Cambodia to release Cheam 

Channy from prison, and for other purposes.

Whereas, on February 3, 2005, the Cambodian National Assembly voted in a closed-door session to strip the immunity of Sam Rainsy Party opposition parliamentarians 

Sam Rainsy, Cheam Channy, and Chea Poch; 

Whereas local and national press, foreign diplomats, and 

other observers were refused entry into the National Assembly during the vote; 

Whereas the stripping of the parliamentary immunity of Sam 

Rainsy, Cheam Channy, and Chea Poch places the fate 

of these opposition parliamentarians in the hands of a 

notoriously corrupt and politicized judicial system; 
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•SRES 65 IS

Whereas Sam Rainsy, Cheam Channy, and Chea Poch face 

trumped-up charges of a highly political nature that are 

intended to silence the democratic opposition; 

Whereas Cheam Channy is currently imprisoned in a military 

jail and, in contravention of Cambodia law, is subject to 

the jurisdiction of the Military Court in Cambodia; 

Whereas the National Assembly vote is yet another attempt 

to intimidate the democratic opposition in Cambodia, attempts which include the unsolved killing of political activists, including Chea Vichea and Om Radsady, and unsolved attacks against peaceful and legal demonstrations, 

including the grenade attack against the Khmer Nation 

Party in March 1997 during which an American citizen 

was injured; 

Whereas the United States, United Nations, and other organizations and individuals have strongly condemned the 

National Assembly vote as a blow to the democratic development of Cambodia; 

Whereas international donors acknowledged during a consultative group meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last 

month that accountability and transparency are vital to 

the country’s economic and social development; 

Whereas the National Assembly vote underscores the lack of 

commitment of Prime Minster Hun Sen and National Assembly President Norodom Ranariddh to democracy, accountability, transparency, and the rule of law in Cambodia; and 

Whereas President George W. Bush issued a proclamation on 

January 12, 2004, that entry into the United States 

should be denied to former and current corrupt public officials and their families: Now therefore be it
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•SRES 65 IS

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls upon the Government of Cambodia to 

3 immediately and unconditionally release Cheam 

4 Channy; 

5 (2) calls upon the Cambodian National Assem6 bly to reverse its recent action to strip the immunity 

7 of opposition parliamentarians Sam Rainsy, Cheam 

8 Channy, and Chea Poch; 

9 (3) urges the Secretary of State, the Secretary10 General of the United Nations, international finan11 cial institutions, and democracies around the world 

12 to continue to publicly and forcefully condemn the 

13 Cambodian National Assembly vote; 

14 (4) urges international donors to consider im15 posing appropriate sanctions against the National 

16 Assembly and the Government of Cambodia unless 

17 and until it reverses its recent action; 

18 (5) calls upon the Secretary of State to impose 

19 visa restrictions on members of the Cambodian Na20 tional Assembly and their families who voted to strip 

21 the immunity of Sam Rainsy, Cheam Channy, and 

22 Chea Pok, consistent with the President’s Proclama23 tion of January 12, 2004, regarding the denial of 

24 visas to corrupt public officials and their families; 

25 and 
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•SRES 65 IS

1 (6) calls upon Prime Minister Hun Sen and 

2 Cambodian National Assembly President Norodom 

3 Ranariddh to cease and desist their efforts to under4 mine democracy, human rights, and the rule of law 

5 in Cambodia.

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