The United States Capitol in Washington, DC. US senators want to ban Cambodian officials tied to illegal logging from entering the United States.(AFP/File/Karen Bleier)Thu Jul 19, 2007
US senators seek travel ban for Cambodians tied to illegal logging
PHNOM PENH (AFP) - US senators want to ban Cambodian officials tied to illegal logging from entering the United States.
The move was sparked by a recent report from the forestry watchdog Global Witness, which accuses top officials, including relatives of Prime Minister Hun Sen, of stripping the country's timber.
The Senate appropriations committee, in a document dated July 10, has urged US President George W. Bush to exercise Presidential Proclamation 7750, "to prohibit corrupt Cambodian officials identified in the June 2007 Global Witness report... from entering the United States."
The proclamation, signed by Bush in 2004, allows Washington to prevent foreigners "engaged in or benefiting from corruption" from entering the US.
"The committee encourages other countries, particularly in Europe and Asia, to implement similar restrictions," said the Senate document, which was seen by AFP Thursday.
The document, which contains proposals for all foreign operations, helps determine US foreign aid for the coming year.
"This US Congress bill sends a clear message to corrupt governments around the world that stripping a nation's natural resources for personal gain is no longer internationally acceptable," said Global Witness Director Simon Taylor.
"It is now up to all other donor countries that profess an interest in the welfare of the Cambodian people to impose their own sanctions on those kleptocrats who are destroying Cambodia's prospects for sustainable development."
London-based Global Witness's caustic report, titled "Cambodia's Family Trees," accused a "kleptocratic" elite of looting Cambodia's forests.
It named several figures close to Hun Sen, including Forest Administration Director General Ty Sokhun and Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun, as being directly involved.
In response, an outraged government banned the Global Witness report from Cambodia and continues to dismiss its allegations.
Chan Sarun was quoted by local media Thursday as saying the US would not be so stupid as to ban Cambodian officials because Global Witness's accusations were "groundless."
The US embassy in Cambodia acknowledges that illegal logging remains a problem but has defended the government, saying many officials are working to stop this activity.
The move was sparked by a recent report from the forestry watchdog Global Witness, which accuses top officials, including relatives of Prime Minister Hun Sen, of stripping the country's timber.
The Senate appropriations committee, in a document dated July 10, has urged US President George W. Bush to exercise Presidential Proclamation 7750, "to prohibit corrupt Cambodian officials identified in the June 2007 Global Witness report... from entering the United States."
The proclamation, signed by Bush in 2004, allows Washington to prevent foreigners "engaged in or benefiting from corruption" from entering the US.
"The committee encourages other countries, particularly in Europe and Asia, to implement similar restrictions," said the Senate document, which was seen by AFP Thursday.
The document, which contains proposals for all foreign operations, helps determine US foreign aid for the coming year.
"This US Congress bill sends a clear message to corrupt governments around the world that stripping a nation's natural resources for personal gain is no longer internationally acceptable," said Global Witness Director Simon Taylor.
"It is now up to all other donor countries that profess an interest in the welfare of the Cambodian people to impose their own sanctions on those kleptocrats who are destroying Cambodia's prospects for sustainable development."
London-based Global Witness's caustic report, titled "Cambodia's Family Trees," accused a "kleptocratic" elite of looting Cambodia's forests.
It named several figures close to Hun Sen, including Forest Administration Director General Ty Sokhun and Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun, as being directly involved.
In response, an outraged government banned the Global Witness report from Cambodia and continues to dismiss its allegations.
Chan Sarun was quoted by local media Thursday as saying the US would not be so stupid as to ban Cambodian officials because Global Witness's accusations were "groundless."
The US embassy in Cambodia acknowledges that illegal logging remains a problem but has defended the government, saying many officials are working to stop this activity.
6 comments:
Don't allow these mother fuckers from entering the U.S is a good idea. These people are from hell and shall remain in hell. U.S is like heaven, therefore no room for these crooks.
This is just protocol. Nothing will happen. Do you think the US spent 60M to build the largest US embassy in that region and put an FBI office to just go ahead and banned government official. Its just politic. Anyway. why would those rich greedy cambodian government want to come to the US? the have enough cash to wipe their ass with.
A lot of time when these Cambodian Vietcong slave corrupted officials enter United States, they use a pretext to see their sons or daughters in American school and at the same time they try to use their corrupted money in the million of dollars to buy nice house and big sporty cars and eventually take residency in United States to escape any persecution in Cambodia! In a way this really help American economy, but at the same time Uncle SAM has the moral responsibility to see that Cambodia must have some form of stability and not letting these Vietcong slave to cause the instability which lead to more problem! It doesn’t have to be a complete ban but give them some restrictions to where they can go such as not allow to go to Las Vegas, Disney World,Universal Studio,...
How about their properties in the USA?
And their children in the US?
All politics! True that most Cambodian gov't officals are corrupt. These rich Cambodian officals do not want to come to the U.S. They have the money and can do anything they wish in Cambodia and tour other countries. They only want to come to the U.S only when they lose power! so this U.S stance is a toothless! bunch of bullshit!
Hok Lundy should be in the US Most wanted too.
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