IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 402
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the urgent 
need for freedom, democratic reform, and international monitoring of 
elections, human rights, and religious liberty in the Lao People’s Demo-
cratic Republic. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 16, 2003
Mr. BURTON of Indiana (for himself, Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin, Mr. NUNES, 
Mr. CHABOT, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. HALL, Mr. PETRI, Mr. KIND, Mr. 
HERGER, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Mr. ROHRABACHER) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
Relations 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard-
ing the urgent need for freedom, democratic reform, and 
international monitoring of elections, human rights, and 
religious liberty in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Whereas, in 1975, the Kingdom of Laos, a constitutional 
monarchy and important ally of the United States during 
the Vietnam War, was overthrown by the Marxist Lao 
People’s Revolutionary Party with the assistance of the 
People’s Army of North Vietnam; 
Whereas the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was estab-
lished as a one-party regime in 1975 following the com-
munist takeover;
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Whereas tens of thousands of Laotian and Hmong people, a 
prominent highland minority group, were killed or died at 
the hands of communist forces while attempting to flee 
the Lao communist regime, and many others perished in 
reeducation and labor camps; 
Whereas tens of thousands of Laotian and Hmong became 
refugees, eventually resettling in the United States where 
they now reside as American citizens and lead construc-
tive lives as members of their communities; 
Whereas the only political party allowed by law in Laos is the 
communist Lao People’s Revolutionary Party; 
Whereas, in 1989, Laos held its first elections since the es-
tablishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, but 
only candidates who were approved by the communist 
Lao People’s Revolutionary Party were allowed to seek 
public office; 
Whereas, in 1991, Laos adopted its first constitution which 
purports to guarantee the people of Laos a wide range 
of freedoms, including the freedoms of speech, assembly, 
and religion; 
Whereas the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Congress 
meets every five years and controls or influences the or-
gans of the state in Laos, including the armed forces, the 
security services, and the National Assembly; 
Whereas the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party promulgates 
the five-year state plans that control the economy and do 
not need to receive the approval of the National Assem-
bly; 
Whereas, in 1999, peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations 
held by Laotian students in the capital of Vientiane call-
ing for political and economic reforms were suppressed by
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force by the Lao government, which arrested many of the 
students; 
Whereas Amnesty International reports that many Laotian 
student leaders from the 1999 pro-democracy demonstra-
tions continue to be held by the Lao government and lan-
guish in the Lao prison system or remain unaccounted 
for; 
Whereas, in 2001, Olivier Dupuis, a Member of the European 
Parliament, was arrested and jailed in Laos along with 
a group of pro-democracy activists after peacefully pro-
testing for the release of the Lao students and for demo-
cratic and human rights reforms in Laos; 
Whereas international election monitors are currently not 
permitted to enter Laos to monitor elections; 
Whereas Laos remains a one-party communist state that con-
tinues to prohibit the organizing of opposition political 
parties to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party; 
Whereas, in 2002, elections for the Lao People’s Democratic 
National Assembly were held nearly a year earlier than 
scheduled and excluded all candidates from political par-
ties other than the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, as 
well as all overseas Laotians; 
Whereas Amnesty International and other independent 
human rights organizations are not permitted to enter 
Laos to monitor or investigate the human rights situation 
or reports of alleged human rights violations; 
Whereas, in 2003, the United States Commission on Inter-
national Religious Freedom issued a country report on 
religious persecution in Laos, recommending that the 
President designate Laos as a ‘‘country of particular con-
cern’’;
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Whereas the Department of State reported in its most recent 
Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Laos that 
Laos restricts its citizens from enjoying the freedoms of 
speech, assembly, and religion, and from undertaking ac-
tivities to change their government; 
Whereas, in 2003, the United Nations Committee on Elimi-
nation of Racial Discrimination stated that the Lao gov-
ernment had failed to honor its obligations, and the Com-
mittee expressed its grave concerns at the information it 
had received of serious and repeated human rights viola-
tions in Laos; 
Whereas, in October 2003, Amnesty International issued a 
statement detailing its concern about the use of starva-
tion by the Lao government as a weapon of war against 
civilians in Laos and the deteriorating situation facing 
thousands of family members of ethnic minority groups, 
predominantly the Hmong; 
Whereas, in 2003, Amnesty International’s International Sec-
retariat, in a statement further detailing its concerns 
about Laos, condemned in the strongest terms the use of 
starvation as a weapon of war against civilians and cited 
it as a clear and serious violation of the Geneva Conven-
tions that Laos has ratified; 
Whereas because many Laotians and Hmong, including those 
in the overseas communities, are not members of the Lao 
People’s Revolutionary Party, they do not meet with its 
approval as political candidates, but they are nevertheless 
successful businessmen, technocrats, and community and 
religious leaders with democratic aspirations and concern 
for the people of Laos; and
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Whereas the United States has a vital interest in the world-
wide promotion of democratic principles and respect for 
human rights, and supports democratic reforms in Laos: 
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives strongly 
supports the following points and urges the Government 
of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the United Na-
tions, the European Union, and the Association of South 
East Asian Nations—
(1) to work to provide unrestricted access to 
Laos by international election monitors for upcoming 
presidential and National Assembly elections; 
(2) to work to provide unrestricted access to 
Laos, including special closed military zones and 
closed provinces, by international human rights or-
ganizations, the United Nations, the United States 
Commission on International Religious Freedom, 
and humanitarian aid organizations; 
(3) to work to ensure that opposition political 
parties and their candidates are allowed to run for 
public office in multi-party elections without regard 
to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, economic stand-
ing, or political affiliation, and that all adult citizens 
of Laos, including overseas Laotian citizens, are per-
mitted to vote and run for public office;
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(4) to allow the citizens of Laos to assemble 
and peacefully protest against the Government of 
Laos, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, and in-
dividual public officials, and to freely organize oppo-
sition groups and independent political parties; 
(5) to heed the call by the United Nations Com-
mittee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination for 
the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party to halt imme-
diately all acts of violence against the Hmong popu-
lation and provide them with humanitarian assist-
ance; 
(6) to work to gain the immediate release of 
those students and their family members arrested 
and jailed in connection with the 1999 pro-democ-
racy demonstrations, as well as all other political 
prisoners, prisoners of conscience, and those jailed 
for their religious beliefs or ethnicity; and 
(7) to work to implement the recommendations 
of the United States Commission on International 
Religious Freedom with respect to promoting reli-
gious freedom in Laos.
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