Commemorating the 175th anniversary of the special relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 290) commemorating the 175th anniversary of the special relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand, as amended.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, as the lead Democratic sponsor of this legislation, I want to thank my friend and distinguished colleague from Illinois, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, Mr. Don Manzullo, for introducing this resolution before us today.

In 1833, 2 years before the publication of Alexis de Tocqueville's ``Democracy in America'' and 3 years before the Battle of the Alamo, the United States and Kingdom of Thailand signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, making the Kingdom of Thailand the United States' first treaty ally in the Asia-Pacific region.

Now, 175 years later, Thailand remains our oldest Asia-Pacific ally.

During this time, the relationship between our two countries has strengthened as it has changed with the times, and the friendship between our two peoples has grown deep and enduring.

Our military partnership, which began when King Mongkut offered combat elephants to President Lincoln during the Civil War, is now one of the closest in Asia.

Thai soldiers fought alongside U.S. military personnel in World War I, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Today, Thailand is one of only a handful of our major non-NATO allies and is a crucial partner in our efforts to combat international terrorism. Thailand is also the host country of Cobra Gold, U.S. Pacific Command's annual multinational military training exercise.

Our economic relationship is similarly robust, with bilateral trade topping $30 billion annually.

On the political front, traditionally Thailand has been an anchor of stability and democracy in the volatile region of Southeast Asia. While it has been tested repeatedly by its own political upheavals, the Thai people have consistently responded by renewing their dedication to democracy.

The country has had 18 coup attempts since World War II, and Thailand's December elections only recently ended the latest coup government, which had come to power in 2006.

We all hope and believe that Thailand can move beyond the differences which led to the coup and return to its position as a democratic leader in Southeast Asia.

Key to resilience of the Thai political system is the strength and pride of the Thai people.

No one epitomizes the spirit of Thai people more than their beloved king, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

On December 5, 2006, the king turned 80 years old. We in Congress join the Thai people in celebrating this landmark birthday and wishing the king a continued long life.

This resolution commemorates the 175th anniversary of the special relationship between the United States and Thailand and congratulates Thailand on maintaining its commitment to democracy by holding national elections and returning to a civilian-led government.

I strongly support this resolution and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

And with that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, at this time I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back my time.

I thank the gentleman, Madam Speaker. I rise also to support this resolution commemorating the 175th anniversary of the special relationship that we have with the Kingdom of Thailand. I am an original cosponsor of this resolution, but I think this resolution rightly points out the improving security relationship between our two countries.

What I would like to share with my colleagues here today is the growing cooperation in law enforcement that we are having with Thailand.

Madam Speaker, last week, Viktor Bout, the most notorious of international arms dealers, was brought into custody by Thai authorities. A criminal complaint was unsealed in New York detailing Viktor Bout's efforts to sell mass amounts of weapons to the FARC, a foreign terrorist organization that operates in Colombia.

He was arrested in the final stages of arranging a sale of millions of dollars of high-powered weapons, including 100 advanced shoulder- fired missiles capable of taking out airliners. With the cooperation of Thai authorities, the ``Merchant of Death,'' as Viktor Bout is known, is out of the game. He is being retired from the role he has played in the killings and maimings around the world. And this is good news to anyone who cares about checking strife in Africa, anyone who cares about stopping those who armed child soldiers, anyone who cares about checking support for transnational terrorists.

Because while many were attempting to stop conflicts across Africa, this is the individual who was pouring fuel on the fire. In U.N. report after U.N. report, Viktor Bout was cited as the chief sanctions buster, supplying arms to anyone who could pay. And I saw this up close when I chaired the Africa subcommittee and when I traveled across the continent. It is a bloody trail from Liberia and then across sub- Saharan Africa that he left.

Bout simultaneously, by the way, also managed to arm the Taliban while he was arming the Northern Alliance. As I said, he has had dealings with the FARC in Colombia, and he has been connected with Hezbollah. He is an international menace who needs to face justice, and we look forward to his expeditious extradition to the United States. And thank you to the Thai authorities, because they are the ones who took him into custody.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today to recognize the 175th anniversary of the strong and enduring relationship between the people of the United States and the people of Thailand. The United States has no older ally in the Asia- Pacific region than the Kingdom of Thailand.

It was in the early days of our Republic, during the administration of Andrew Jackson, that the Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed with King Rama III. Thailand has been a staunch friend of the United States ever since.

Remarkably, during the dark days of our Civil War, the King of Thailand offered to send President Lincoln a herd of elephants to help lead the Union to victory. While Lincoln did not take up the offer, the gesture was greatly appreciated.

More recently, Thailand provided support for our military forces during the Vietnam War. It has also served for more than a quarter century as the host for our Pacific Command's annual multinational military training exercise known as ``Cobra Gold.''

Our two nations have worked closely together on humanitarian issues as well. Thailand was of great assistance as the host nation for many of the refugees who came out of Indochina after the war there. More recently, Thailand has provided a safe haven for Burmese and North Korean refugees. Thailand also came together with the United States in launching joint relief operations following the tragic tsunami which caused its devastation in 2004.

Thailand is America's 20th largest trading partner. A half million Americans are of Thai descent, including the remarkable Tiger Woods. These are indeed the ties that bind.

It is my strong hope that the Government of Thailand with build on last year's successful parliamentary elections by ensuring that all parties in Thailand are brought into the political process.

Thailand's rebirth of diplomacy is something which all Americans welcome. I therefore urge my colleagues to support this resolution which recognizes our oldest and one of our most loyal Asian allies.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.