P1 1WHEREAS, On February 15 and 16, 2016, President Obama
2will host the government leaders from the Association of Southeast
3Asian Nations (ASEAN) for a summit in the city of Rancho
4Mirage, California; and
5WHEREAS, International summits have historically provided
6venues for diplomatic discussions with government leaders on
7various policies, from economic prosperity and cultural tolerance,
8to the worldwide protection of human rights and intellectual
9property; and
10WHEREAS, All members of ASEAN are currently members
11of the General Assembly of the United Nations that penned The
12Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, which proclaimed
13that every individual and every organ of society shall strive to
14promote respect for rights and freedoms of men and women; and
15WHEREAS, The preamble of the ASEAN Charter signed in
16Singapore on November 20, 2007, acknowledges its expanded
17membership’s commitment to adhere “to the principles of
18democracy, the rule of law and good governance, respect for and
19protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms”; and
20WHEREAS, The Human Rights Watch, in a report prepared for
21the February summit, has declared that most of ASEAN’s 10
22members have extraordinarily poor human rights records,
23including, but not limited to, restrictions on civil society, failures
24on women’s rights, the political use of courts, high-level corruption,
P2 1and lack of basic freedoms such as expression and peaceful
2assembly; and
3WHEREAS, The Human Rights Watch report dually urges
4President Obama to raise concerns involving political prisoners in
5Vietnam, politically motivated prosecutions in Malaysia, political
6repression in Cambodia, and the suppression of free expression in
7Thailand; and
8WHEREAS, The California State Legislature previously passed
9Senate Joint Resolution 5 which urged the President of the United
10States and the United States Congress to reauthorize the
11Humanitarian Resettlement Program and the Orderly Departure
12Program to allow disabled veterans of the South Vietnamese Army
13and their families currently living in the Socialist Republic of
14Vietnam to apply to enter the United States, citing human rights
15concerns that persist in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; now,
16therefore, be it
17Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the
18Legislature respectfully urges the President of the United States
19to focus on the ongoing human rights injustices that continue to
20occur in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and in other Southeast
21Asian nations when the President hosts the leaders of the
22Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the Sunnylands Estate
23in Rancho Mirage, California on February 15 and 16, 2016; and
24be it further
25Resolved, That the Legislature respectfully urges President
26Obama to discuss the implementation of Senate Joint Resolution
275 with the government leader of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,
28regarding the reauthorization of the Humanitarian Resettlement
29Program and the Orderly Departure Program to allow disabled
30veterans of the South Vietnamese Army and their families currently
31living in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to apply to enter the
32United States; and be it further
33Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
34this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
35States, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to the Speaker of the
36House of Representatives, to each Senator and Representative from
37California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author
38for appropriate distribution.
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