|
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed, by a vote of 411 to 3, House Resolution 1382 introduced by Rep. Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment. The resolution calls for a coordinated response to North Korea’s sinking of the South Korean ship, the Cheonan.
“I was pleased that the House acted so quickly and overwhelmingly supported the resolution. It sends an important message to North Korea that its provocations and hostile acts have consequences. The attack on the Cheonan took place on March 26, 2010 while the ship was on a routine mission in waters off the west coast of South Korea. At 9:22 p.m., an explosion ripped through the Cheonan’s hull. The ship tilted 90 degrees to starboard and sank. Of the 104 members of the crew on board, 46 died,” Faleomavaega said.
“Despite the immediate suspicion that North Korea was responsible for the attack and the shocking loss of life, South Korea reacted calmly and deliberately. As the country mourned its dead, the government formed a Joint Civilian–Military Investigation Group to assess the cause of the explosion. The 74-member team, including 24 experts from the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Australia, spent several weeks examining the evidence objectively and scientifically. On May 20, 2010, the group released its final report, concluding unanimously that ‘the Cheonan was attacked and sunk by a torpedo that was launched from a small North Korean submarine,’” Faleomavaega added.
“On the day of the report’s release, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Howard Berman; the Committee’s Ranking Member, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, Congressman Gary Ackerman; the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, Congressman Don Manzullo, and I introduced House Resolution 1382. We did so to demonstrate America’s strong solidarity with the Republic of Korea and to call for an appropriate and coordinated international response to North Korea’s unprovoked, deadly attack. We also sought to express our condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and to reaffirm our enduring commitment to the U.S.-ROK alliance and to the security of our friends in the Republic of Korea.”
“In addition, our resolution calls for an apology by North Korea for its actions and a commitment by Pyongyang never to violate the Korean War Armistice Agreement again. It urges the international community to fully and faithfully implement all United Nations Security Council Resolutions pertaining to security on the Korean Peninsula, including Resolutions 1695, 1718 and 1874. Finally, it calls for the United States, in coordination with its allies and partners, to take appropriate steps in response to other hostile acts perpetrated by North Korea,” Faleomavaega noted. |
|
|
![[United States Congress]](congress.gif)
