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Senate approves measure to normalize trade with Laos
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Candidate
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| Contributor | Eric |
| Last Edited | Eric Dec 02, 2004 08:35pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - Star Tribune, The (Minneapolis - St. Paul) |
| News Date | Saturday, November 20, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Senate passed legislation on Friday normalizing trade relations with Laos, a move that has the Bush administration's backing, but which has bitterly divided the Hmong community in the United States.
Senators Mark Dayton and Norm Coleman of Minnesota, with the nation's largest concentration of Laotian Hmong immigrants, voted against the measure in a voice vote. Coleman, a Republican, immediately filed a new bill -- a largely symbolic gesture -- to repeal trade normalization. Dayton, a Democrat, joined in as a co-sponsor. "I cannot in good conscience support normalized trade with Laos so long as this regime continues to oppress the Hmong, arrest people arbitrarily, inhibit free speech and oppose religious liberty," Coleman said.
A two-year effort to normalize trade relations with the Communist nation was spearheaded by Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., whose St. Paul district has a large Hmong population.
"This is a historic step ending thirty years of isolating Laos," McCollum said. "We will now be engaging the Lao people in a positive relationship that can improve their quality of life and build a brighter future for their families." |
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