Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on September 30, Fox News reported an outrageous story. India has a small Jewish community and they are outraged at the emergence in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) of a new line of bedspreads called the ``Nazi Collection.'' The proprietor, one Kapil Kumar Todi, claimed that it stands for ``New Arrival Zone for India,'' but nobody takes that claim seriously. Mr. Todi pretends not to understand the outrage of the Jewish community, saying ``It really does not matter to me who feels bad about it.''

This collection is an outrage, not only against Jews, but against all people who believe in decency and tolerance. India should shut it down.

A restaurant in Mumbai used swastikas on its menus and called itself Hitler's Cross. After the Jewish community protested, the restaurant was forced to change its name. This shows the tolerance for Nazi ideas in India, and yet it considers itself the ally of Israel and the Jewish people.

As you know, Madam Speaker, India has been plagued by Hindu fundamentalism and many instances of religious intolerance. Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, and others have suffered religious violence that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. There has been destruction and laws have been enacted to prevent a Hindu from converting to another religion. A booklet was published telling people how to implicate Christians and others in false criminal cases. This is merely the latest outrage. But it is one more example of the lack of religious freedom in India. That is one reason that there are 17 freedom movements inside India.

This is unacceptable, Madam Speaker. It is one more reason why we should cut off our aid to India and our trade with that country and put the U.S. Congress on record in support of self-determination and freedom for the many nations seeking their freedom from India.

[From Fox News, Sept. 30, 2007]

Indian Jews Outraged Over ``The Nazi Collection'' Line of Bedspreads

Mumbai, India--Leaders of India's Jewish community

expressed outrage Sunday over a new line of bedspreads called

``The Nazi Collection'' from a Mumbai-based home furnishing

company that used swastikas in its promotional material.

The furnishing dealer said the name stands for ``New

Arrival Zone for India'' and was not meant to be anti-

Semitic.

But Jewish groups said they would file a lawsuit against

the company.

``This is an enormous insult to Jews and all right-thinking

people and must be retracted,'' said Jonathan Solomon,

chairman of the Indian Jewish Federation.

There are about 5,500 Jews living in India, a predominantly

Hindu nation of 1.1 billion people.

The bedspread line is not yet on sale, but brochures were

handed out in a mall in a northern Mumbai suburb, the Times

of India newspaper reported Sunday.

Furnishing dealer Kapil Kumar Todi said he chose the name

because ``that's what came to my mind,'' according to the

paper.

``It really does not matter to me who feels bad about it,''

he said.

Some Indians regard Hitler as just another historical

figure and have little knowledge about the Holocaust in which

6 million Jews were killed during World War II.

The swastika symbol, which was appropriated by the Nazis,

was originally an ancient symbol used in Hinduism, Buddhism

and other religions, and is still displayed all over India in

hopes of bringing luck.

Last year, a restaurant in Mumbai, India's financial and

entertainment capital, changed its name from Hitler's Cross

after the city's Jewish community protested. The restaurant

used swastikas on its signs and menus.

Madam Speaker, K.P.S. Gill, the former Director General of Police in Punjab, has requested the opportunity to testify before the Major Commission, which is investigating the 1985 Air India bombing. The request comes in response to the testimony of officials from the Punjab Human Rights Organization who had valuable new information to impart. Mr. Gill should not testify.

Gill was part of the same machinery of Indian repression that led to the bombing. He was responsible for the murders of tens of thousands of Sikhs while he was DGP in Punjab. Mr. Gill was quoted as endorsing extrajudicial killings, saying that they ``should happen.'' These are incidents where the police kill innocent people, then report it as an ``encounter'' to justify their actions. He was denied passage to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta by every airline because of his terrorism and he had to leave the country immediately after India's field hockey games. He serves as president of the Indian Field Hockey Association. Almost 50 Members of Congress wrote to the State Department urging them to deny Mr. Gill a visa. He stands convicted of sexually harassing a high-level female Indian Administrative Service employee. He is not fit to be a witness in any civilized country. He ought to be in prison.

Gill has no information on the Air India incident. Why doesn't the Major Commission call Zuhair Kashmeri and Brian McAndrew, who wrote the book Soft Target, which details the Indian government's involvement in this terrorist act, or former Member of Parliament David Kilgour, who exposed the story of Ryszard Paskowski? Paszkowski was a Canadian- Polish double agent who was approached by representatives of the Indian government who asked him to be involved in a second bombing. They said, ``the first one worked so well.'' For For that matter, why not just call Mr. Paszkowski himself?

Gill's involvement in genocide is well known. Why should the Major Commission accept him as a witness?

Gill Should Not Testify Before Major Commission

Washington, DC, October 3, 2007.--Former Punjab Director

General of Police K.P.S. Gill is seeking to testify before

the Major Commission, which is investigating the 1985 Air

India disaster. His request comes in response to testimony

from two officials of the Punjab Human Rights Organization

(PHRO.)

Gill should not testify because he is a terrorist,'' said

Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of

Khalistan. ``He is responsible for the murders of tens of

thousands of Sikhs. Now he is portraying himself as some sort

of expert on the Air India bombing. The Council of Khalistan,

the government pro tempore of Kha1istan, leads the struggle

to liberate Khalistan from India.

Gill was denied passage to the Atlanta Olympics by every

airline in 1996 because of his terrorism. He had to be sent

to Atlanta in a special train and he was sent out as soon as

the hockey game was over. 49 Members of the U.S. Congress

wrote to the State Department, urging them not to give Gill a

visa. In that same year, he was convicted of sexually

harassing a senior IAS official. A few years ago when Gill

was visiting Belgium, his turban was removed from him by Sikh

activists, who then chased him down to his hotel. In 1999, he

was quoted as saying that fake encounters ``should occur'' if

they are ``necessary.'' Many innocent people, including a

three-year-old child, have been killed in such encounters. In

1994, the U.S. State Department reported that the Indian

government paid out over 41,000 cash bounties to police

officers for such killings.

Gill presided over more than 50,000 extrajudicial killings,

which were exposed by the PHRO in a study begun by Sardar

Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was picked up by the police in

September 1995 and murdered in police custody in October of

that year. Many of these were secret cremations, in which

Sikhs were arrested, tortured, and murdered, then their

bodies were secretly cremated and declared ``unidentified.''

Their remains were never even given to their families. It was

for exposing this brutal policy that Gill's police arrested

and murdered Sardar Khalra.

Gill serves as head of the Anti-Terrorist Institute of

India, which has so far received $95 million in taxpayer

funding from the government of Canada, and of the Institute

for Conflict Management, which has received $65,000. ``It is

ironic that Gill heads an antiterrorism institute and he is a

terrorist himself,'' said Dr. Aulakh. ``Like most police

officials, he has escaped any consequences of his actions.

Gill should be tried for genocide.''

Information recently released to Tehelka by the PHRO showed

that Talwinder Singh Parmar, the leader of Babbar Khalsa (an

organization significantly infiltrated and controlled by the

Indian government) had identified Lakhbir Singh Brar (Rode),

leader of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), as

the main culprit behind the bombing and as an Indian

government agent. A police official, Harmail Singh Chandi,

showing documents that were supposed to have been destroyed,

reported that Parmar was murdered in police custody. It is

clear that Parmar was killed to keep him from talking about

Rode's involvement. As a Canadian Security Investigative

Service agent who was quoted in Zuhair Kashmeri and Brian

McAndrew's book Soft Target said. ``If you really want to

clear up the incidents quickly, take vans down to the Indian

High Commission and the consulates in Toronto and Vancouver.

We know it and they know it that they are involved.''

``If Gill can testify, why not call Kashmeri and McAndrew?

Former Member of Parliament David Kilgour, who wrote

Betrayal: The Spy That Canada Abandoned, should also be

invited to testify,'' Dr. Aulakh said. In his book Kilgour

reports on a Canadian-Polish double agent named Ryszard

Paszkowski, who was approached by representatives of the

Indian regime, who asked him to participate in a second

bombing because ``the first one worked so well.'' Paszkowski

should also be invited to testify.

A report issued by the Movement Against State Repression

(MASR) shows that India admitted that it held 52,268

political prisoners under the repressive ``Terrorist and

Disruptive Activities Act'' (TADA), which expired in 1995.

Many have been in illegal custody since 1984. According to

Amnesty International, there are tens of thousands of other

minorities being held as political prisoners in India. The

Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984,

more than 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, over 90,000 Muslims

in Kashmir, tens of thousands of Christians and Muslims

throughout the country, and tens of thousands of Tamils,

Assamese, Manipuris, Dalits, Bodos, and others. The Indian

Supreme Court called the Indian government's murders of Sikhs

``worse than a genocide.''

``How can anyone accept testimony of the representative of

this bloody regime?'' Dr. Aulakh asked. ``In a free

Khalistan, no one would accept those who carry out genocide

against the Sikh religion and the Sikh Nation or against any

other people,'' he said. ``The Sikh Nation and the Sikh

religion cannot flourish without political power. We must

free Khalistan now.'

Madam Speaker, on October 20, Sikhs around the world will celebrate the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh religion, who was born in 1469. There are about 25 million Sikhs worldwide. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sikhs around the world on this important occasion.

Guru Nanak had a spiritual experience in 1499 while bathing in the Bein river. He received revelations for 3 days, then became a

travelling preacher, preaching a philosophy of inclusion, tolerance, and univeralism. ``There is neither Hindu nor Muslim,'' he said, and he used both Hindu and Muslim titles for God. Guru Nanak met with both Hindu and Muslim leaders.

His following continued to grow. He eventually settled in Kartarpur, Punjab.

Guru Nanak taught that humans could approach God directly, that God is a formless, unified being. He taught that we could do this by many means including meditation, purification, spiritual purity, and achieving detachment. He encouraged charity. He taught that caste didn't matter. All that mattered was following the spiritual path. He admonished his followers to oppose tyranny and repression.

The teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors are recorded in the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of the Sikh religion, also called the Guru Granth Sahib. It is written in Punjabi, the language of the Sikhs, which was not considered acceptable by the other religious leaders of the time, but which shows that God favors no caste or group.

Guru Nanak's birthday is a major occasion for the Sikh Nation and I congratulate Sikhs worldwide on the celebration of his birth, which gave rise to their religion.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. Hazel Baldwin Forbes. Hazel is a native of Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina and the daughter of Colene M. Baldwin Stanley and Prince Baldwin. She showed a genuine interest and aptitude for music at an early age. She first studied piano under the tutelage of Mrs. Tabitha Thompson from age seven through high school. At the age of 15, she became solely responsible for directing the senior choir at the Little Wheel of Hope Baptist Church in Lake Waccamaw. During her years as a teen musical prodigy, she was in great demand for performances at weddings, funerals, concerts, recitals and as an accompanist for soloists and vocalists.

Upon Hazel's admission to Shaw University, she auditioned and was selected as a pianist and accompanist for the University Chorale Society under the direction of Professor Harry GilSmyth. Holding a double major in English and Music, she graduated from Shaw University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She subsequently earned a Master's of Social Work Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

For more than 30 years, Hazel served as a Clinical Social Worker. Her practice includes work with adolescent girls, families, couples, parents and children; individuals living with mental illness, abuse, neglect, fears, and violence that interfere with meaningful relationships and a positive sense of self. Hazel now focuses her practice on providing clinical supervision and coaching to psychiatrists, nurses, other clinical social workers, and case managers.

Though Hazel remained true to her trade, she never lost her passion for music. She found time to keep active in a variety of musical interests. She has served choirs as their directress and accompanist for more than 25 years in New York City, Richmond, Virginia, and Raleigh, North Carolina. In New York, she was employed as a music instructor at Bedford Stuyvesant's Junior High School 35. She also served for a number of years on the faculty of the Hampton Ministers' Conference and Organist and Musicians Guild and most recently as Directress of the Adult Choir at Christian Faith Baptist Church from which she is now retiring.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the impressive achievements of Hazel Baldwin Forbes and her commitment as a social worker and a gifted musician. I also want to thank and applaud Mrs. Forbes for sharing that gift with the rest of us.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to this wonderful, caring and talented woman.

Madam Speaker, on August 3, India-West reported that during former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit to India shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the Indian regime bugged Prime Minister Blair's hotel room. According to the article, they didn't do a very good job of it, either.

India-West reported that Prime Minister Blair's associate, Alistair Campbell, wrote in his book that Blair's people found the bugs but decided not to make a fuss about them. According to India-West, Campbell writes that ``On his way to the hotel, Blair asked the then British High Commissioner in India if the car was bugged only to receive a `kind of noncommittal no.' '' Campbell also describes the discovery of two listening devices in Prime Minister Blair's hotel room. Campbell reported that the bugs couldn't be removed ``without drilling the wall,'' so Mr. Blair simply used a different room. He also writes about a valet named Sunil who was there wherever Campbell went. ``I was beginning to wonder whether he had been put there either by spooks or by a paper,'' Campbell wrote.

Madam Speaker, this is an outrage. The fact that India feels the need to spy on a democratic leader who is fighting the same war on terror that India claims to support shows that India's sympathies do not lie on the side of the Free World. It also shows that India's claims to be a democracy ring hollow. Perhaps they can hear their claims ring hollow in one of their listening devices.

Those claims are further belied by India's ongoing repression against Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, and other minorities. We all know that India has murdered more than a quarter of a million Sikhs, over 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, more than 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir, 2,000 to 5,000 Muslims in Gujarat, and tens of thousands of other minorities such as manipuris, Tamils, Bodos, Assamese, Bengalis, Dalits, et cetera. We all know of the tens of thousands of political prisoners. Harassment and false arrest are common. Some Sikh activists were arrested for making speeches and raising a flag! Does that sound like democracy to you, Madam Speaker?

Why do we accept this? America is founded on the idea of freedom for all. There is something we can do about the tyranny in India. We owe it to the oppressed people there to stop our aid and trade with India (especially since more than 836 million people there live on less than 40 cents per day) and we should demand self-determination for the people of Punjab, Khalsitan, Nagalim, Kashmir, and all people seeking their freedom. Self-determination is the essence of democracy. Our actions can help bring real freedom and prosperity to all the people of the subcontinent. Let us do whatever we can.

[From the Times of India, Aug. 3, 2007]

Delhi Clumsily Bugged Tony Blair's Room During 2001 Visit

(By Rashmee Roshan Lall)

London.--Indian intelligence clumsily bugged Tony Blair's

hotel room in Delhi during the British prime minister's visit

to India one month after the 9/11 attacks, his chief spin

doctor Alastair Campbell has said.

In his newly published diaries released in India July 25.

Campbell said Blair's entourage found the bugs but decided

not to make a fuss. On his way to the hotel, Blair asked the

then British High Commissioner in Delhi if the car was

bugged, only to receive a ``kind of noncommittal no.''

Campbell writes about Blair's passage to India on Oct. 5,

2001.

Later, he describes an ``incriminating'' discovery of two

bugs in the British prime minister's hotel room.

``At the hotel, our security service guys had found two

bugs in TB's bedroom and said they wouldn't be able to move

them without drilling the wall, so TB used a different

room,'' he wrote.

Campbell's revelations are probably the first time someone

within the innermost circle of a British prime minister has

openly accused the Indian authorities of bugging and dirty

tricks. Campbell also claims in the diaries, titled ``The

Blair Years,'' that he too was probably spied upon by Indian

intelligence, via the services of a ``valet'' named Sunil.

The ``valet,'' says Campbell drove him ``bananas everywhere

I went, he was there. I was beginning to wonder whether he

had been put there either by the spooks or a paper.''

Madam Speaker, recently, the former Director General of Police of Punjab, S.S. Virk, was arrested on September 9 on corruption charges. Ironically, he was arrested by the government of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who in his previous tenure redefined corruption as ``fee for service''--no fee, no service.

Apparently, Mr. Virk managed to collect the equivalent of a billion dollars in assets on a meager police official's salary. I salute the arrest of Mr. Virk and hope he does serious jail time. But Mr. Virk should be arrested for more than corruption.

Mr. Virk was Director General when tens of thousands of Sikhs were murdered by the Indian regime in Punjab, Khalistan. Nobody has been brought to justice for these murders nor for the murders of other minorities, such as Christians, Muslims, and others.

I call on the Indian government to bring to justice the likes of Mr. Virk, K.P.S. Gill, and the others who were responsible for the atrocities against the Sikhs and other minorities. Until they do so, we should stop our aid to India and our trade with that country. And we should put the U.S. Congress on record in support of freedom for Khalistan, Kashmir, Nagalim, and the other nations seeking to be free in south Asia by means of a free and fair plebiscite on their status.

The Indian newspapers gave some good coverage to Mr. Virk's arrest and the Council of Khalistan published an excellent press release about the situation.

Former DGP Virk Arrested for Corruption

Washington, DC, Sept. 12, 2007.--Former Punjab Director

General of Police S.S. Virk was arrested Sunday by the

Vigilance Bureau (a state agency of Punjab) for corruption.

He had amassed wealth in excess of 100 crore (100 million)

rupees. This was far in excess of what he received from his

position as DGP. He was also charged with misuse of his

official position, making private business deals as a public

servant. Virk had arrangements with ``Cats,'' former

``militants'' who turned to working for the Indian regime, to

kill Sikhs throughout Punjab. While Virk was amassing this

wealth, half of the population of India continues to subsist

on less than two dollars per day.

Hours after his arrest, he was hospitalized with high blood

pressure and gallstones. A case was registered against him

under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Virk had been removed

as DGP shortly before the Punjab elections earlier this year.

He had been suspended by the Badal government shortly after

it came to power in February. Former Chief Minister Amarinder

Singh has openly supported Virk. ``We are amazed that someone

of the stature of Captain Amarinder Singh supports the

corruption and the killing of Sikhs under S.S. Virk's

regime,'' said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the

Council of Khalistan. Virk was quoted as saying that

``everyone in the world'' keeps agents like the ``Cats.''

``Even if that were true, that does not relieve him of his

responsibility,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``No law enforcement

agency should be allowed to murder ordinary citizens. If they

break the law, they should be tried in the court and

punishment should be determined by the courts, not by police

officials.''

Virk claimed that his arrest was a ``political

victimization and vendetta.'' The Badal family, during their

prior term in office, ran the most corrupt government in

Punjab's history. They practiced corruption on a grand scale.

Unless they were paid a bribe (which they renamed ``fee for

service''), no service was provided. Former DGP K.P.S. Gill

presided over the murders of more than 50,000 extrajudicial

killings, which were exposed by the Punjab Human Rights

Organization (PHRO) in a study begun by Sardar Jaswant Singh

Khalra, who was picked up by the police in September 1995 and

murdered in police custody in October of that year.

``We salute the arrest of S.S. Virk,'' said Dr. Gurmit

Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. ``We are

glad that he is under arrest. There shouldn't be any

corruption in high places,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``When will

Badal, Gill, and the others responsible for high-level

corruption and atrocities against the Sikh nation be

arrested?'' he asked.

``In a free Khalistan, no one would accept those who carry

out genocide against the Sikh religion and the Sikh Nation or

against any other people. They would all be arrested, not

just selectively arrested to cover the corruption of the

leaders ordering the arrest'' said Dr. Aulakh.

Dr. Aulakh also cited the case of Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, a

``Cat,'' who was reported as killed. Someone was killed in

his place, his identity was changed, and he was used by the

police to kill Sikhs. ``Who was killed in Sukhi's place?''

asked Dr. Aulakh. Several years ago, a Sikh man who had been

reported as killed by the police went to court to force the

government to declare him alive.

A report issued by the Movement Against State Repression

(MASR) shows that India admitted that it held 52,268

political prisoners under the repressive ``Terrorist and

Disruptive Activities Act'' (TADA), which expired in 1995.

Many have been in illegal custody since 1984. According to

Amnesty International, there are tens of thousands of other

minorities being held as political prisoners in India. The

Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984,

more than 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, over 90,000 Muslims

in Kashmir, tens of thousands of Christians and Muslims

throughout the country, and tens of thousands of Tamils,

Assamese, Manipuris, Dalits, Bodos, and others. The Indian

Supreme Court called the Indian government's murders of Sikhs

``worse than a genocide.''

``The time is now to launch a Shantmai Morcha to free

Khalistan,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``That is the only way to

prevent this kind of corruption and allow the Sikh Nation to

live in freedom, peace, dignity, and prosperity. The time has

come for some pro-Sikh organizations such as Dal Khalsa and

others to step forward in Punjab and accelerate our struggle

for the liberation of Khalistan,'' he said.

``Religions cannot flourish without political power. We must

free Khalistan now.''

[From the Times of India, Sept. 9, 2007.]

Former Punjab DGP S S Virk Arrested

New Delhi--Former Punjab DGP S S Virk was arrested here on

Sunday by Punjab Vigilance Bureau in connection with a case

registered against him for allegedly possessing assets

disproportionate to his known sources of income. Virk, who

was removed as DGP shortly before the assembly elections in

Punjab this year, was arrested from Maharashtra Sadan by a

team of vigilance officials, senior Bureau officials said.

The senior IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, who was

repatriated from Punjab by the Centre after the Punjab

elections, was also charged with having misused his authority

by indulging in private business as a public servant in

violation of service rules, the sources said.

The case was registered against Virk on Saturday under the

Prevention of Corruption Act after investigations for the

last few months, the sources said, adding the former DGP did

not offer any resistance at the time of his arrest.

[From Rediff India Abroad, Sept. 9, 2007]

Former Punjab DGP S S Virk Arrested

Former Punjab Director General of Police S S Virk, who was

removed shortly before the assembly poll in the state, was

arrested on Sunday on charges of possessing assets

disproportionate to his known sources of income and misuse of

official position.

Virk, a senior IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, who

was arrested in Delhi by a team of Punjab Vigilance Bureau

officials, described the charges against him as `false and

fabricated.'

A case was registered against Virk under the Prevention of

Corruption Act on Saturday, Vigilance Bureau Sources said,

adding that he did not offer any resistance at the time of

his arrest.

Soon after his arrest from Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi

on Sunday morning, the former Punjab Police chief was taken

by road to Mohali near Chandigarh where he was quizzed by

vigilance sleuths.

He was also medically examined, the sources said, adding

that searches were also conducted at a number of places in

Punjab in connection with properties owned by the former DGP.

The team that arrested Virk included four officers of the

rank of Superintendent of Police.

Besides allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his

known sources of income, the ex-DGP was charged with misusing

his authority by indulging in private business as a public

servant in violation of service rules.

A visibly tired Virk, who was repatriated by the Centre

from Punjab after the assembly election, told media persons

at a police station in Mohali that all the cases registered

against him were false and fabricated. ``It is political

victimisation and vendetta,'' said the IPS officer.

Virk, the first DGP from the state to be arrested, was

suspended by the SAD-BJP government, led by Parkash Singh

Badal, soon after it came to power in February this year.

He was removed as DGP shortly before the assembly poll by

the Election Commission after the opposition SAD leveled

allegations of corruption against him.

It also charged Virk with helping the then ruling Congress

at former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's behest After his

removal as DGP, Virk was initially posted as DGP-cum-Chairman

Punjab Police Housing Corporation on January 22 and suspended

in April.

R S Gill, a 1973 batch IPS officer, was appointed DGP

Punjab on January 22 after Virk was removed by the Election

Commission.

Mr. Speaker, last week most of the Republicans once again marched in lockstep with the Bush administration. I have just been informed that the President has vetoed the CHIP bill. That is a shame and it is a disgrace. Despite the fact that this Democratic Congress crafted a bipartisan bill with Republican input, most Republican Members chose to ignore the health care needs of 10 million children. It is a shame and a national disgrace.

The Children's Health Insurance Program has helped our Nation reduce the number of uninsured children. During each of the 8 years of the program, the number of uninsured children decreased, but over the last 2 years these numbers have actually gone up. Based on these troubling trends, this Democratic Congress did not believe that a straight reauthorization was enough. We needed to strengthen the CHIP program, and that is exactly what we did.

And now I have been informed that the President has vetoed it. That's a disgrace.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on

Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 928, the Improving Government Accountability Act, focuses on the important role of the Inspector General in providing independent oversight within Federal agencies. By investigating and reporting waste, fraud and abuse to both agency leaders and to the Congress, Inspectors General play a critical role in maintaining checks and balances in the Federal Government.

When Congress created the Inspectors General nearly 30 years ago, the idea was that having independent officials inside the Federal agency would help detect and prevent wasteful spending and mismanagement. This concept has been a tremendous success. Investigations by IGs have resulted in the recovery of billions of dollars from companies and individuals who defrauded the Federal Government.

These investigations have led to thousands of criminal prosecutions, contractor debarments, employee suspensions, and in some instances, dismissals.

In sum, the work of IGs to expose criminal and abusive action in government has gone a long way to create the cleaner and more efficient government the taxpaying public expects and deserves.

Of course, even the best systems need some improvement from time to time, and that is the reason for this bill today, to effectively carry out that mission. Inspectors General must be independent and objective, which requires that they be insulated from improper management and political pressure.

To preserve the credibility of the office, Inspectors General must also perform their duties with integrity and apply the same standards of conduct and accountability to themselves as they apply to the agencies that they audit and investigate.

In recent years, there have been several episodes which raised questions about the independence and accountability of IGs. These episodes have been well documented in hearings of the Oversight Committee as well as other standing committees of the House. In some instances, IGs who are seen as too aggressive in pursuing waste at their agencies had their budget cut or were threatened with dismissal. In other cases, IGs who abused their authority remained in office in part because there were no statutory standards or procedures for removal. This bill is designed to address both of those problems. H.R. 928 creates fixed terms of office for Inspectors General and specific reasons for their removal. It allows IGs to submit their budget requests directly to the Congress. The bill establishes an Inspector General council and sets procedures for investigation of potential IG misconduct. And the bill increases the rank and pay of IGs as well.

This is a strong bill and a necessary bill. Passing this bill will send a message that Congress values the work of the Inspectors General and the oversight that they provide.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee, who has been very instrumental in bringing forth this legislation, Mr. Cooper.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to Mr. Yarmuth, the gentleman from Kentucky.

I have no further speakers.

Mr. Chairman, I think this legislation is a giant step in the right direction. I would like to thank the chairman of the full committee, Congressman Waxman. I would like to thank Congressman Davis, the ranking member. I would like to thank subcommittee ranking member, Congressman Bilbray from California. Of course, I would like to thank Mr. Cooper for all of his work on this legislation. And I would like to thank the staff for all of their work in terms of making certain that we were able to come today. I want to thank the sponsors for this bill. Mr. Cooper and I and our colleagues across the aisle have been very open to getting input and making changes to this bill. This is what the legislative process is all about, exchanging ideas, sharing information, and trying to improve the legislation. I think the end result in this bill will increase the Office of Inspector Generals and give them the kind of independence that they need to be able to do the efficient work that is so required. I am excited about the possibilities, of course, and I encourage all my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, this is a very good amendment. It is especially important that the Department of Justice IG have the authority to examine a broad range of issues in that Department. Considering all the problems that congressional investigations have recently uncovered, I think that this is a very timely amendment. I really feel that we should aggressively get behind it and support it and encourage our colleagues also to support it.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I am opposed to the amendment, I think. I am not sure. Let me ask some questions and then I can make up my mind.

As I understand it, under your amendment, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), each Inspector General's appropriations request as originally made to his or her agency head would be noted in the President's budget submission to Congress.

Mr. Chairman, is that correct?

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, with that in mind, I do support the amendment, and, of course, I am prepared to accept the amendment. It achieves the goal of the budget provision in this bill, which is to expose whether IGs are having their budgets slashed in retaliation of their investigations.

I look forward to working with you as this bill moves through the legislative process to clarify the language of the amendment to ensure that its intent is fulfilled.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, this is a well thought-out amendment. I want to

commend the gentleman from North Carolina for this. It makes it clear that the bill is not intended to protect poorly performing IGs from removal.

There was some question about an IG who managed his office so poorly that it caused most of the senior career staff to quit, and then the IG would still be there. At least this amendment addresses that issue as well by adding gross mismanagement and gross waste of funds and abuse of authority as grounds for removal. This amendment clarifies that an IG who is not an effective leader can be removed for that reason.

We also support the technical and procedural changes that Mr. Miller has included in this amendment. This is a very, very good amendment, and I hope that it has support coming from both sides of the aisle, because this is an amendment that is long overdue.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the committee also supports this amendment by Mr. Miller. One of the problems that we have seen is that recent IG appointments have had far more experience in politics than they have had in investigating and auditing.

The council created by this amendment is advisory, but it will provide an independent evaluation of whether a candidate for appointment has the professional background and experience to succeed in the IG role. This information should be valuable to the President and to the Senate as they fill IG vacancies.

Mr. Chairman, I think this is a fine amendment and I am hoping that both sides of the aisle will support it. This is what strengthening legislation is all about, dialogue on both sides and then supporting. So I am hoping this amendment gets a strong, strong vote. It is a good amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to support the amendment. I think it is a very good amendment because it deals with waste, fraud and abuse. I think anything that strengthens this bill, I am for. There is no question about it, my colleague from New York definitely improves the legislation. Therefore, I am in total support of the amendment, and would encourage my colleagues to do likewise.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the instructions of the House in the motion to recommit, I report H.R. 928 back to the House with an amendment.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 928, to include corrections in spelling, punctuation, section numbering and cross-referencing, and the insertion of appropriate headings.

Madam Speaker, as I stated here a couple of months ago, I believe very strongly that whatever our policy is on other types of gambling, we need to maintain a firm line against any form of sports gambling. Gambling on sports events undermines the integrity of American athletics. It can create corruption or the appearance of corruption, and it taints the image of sports as wholesome, family- friendly entertainment.

I also stated that I opposed legalization of online sports gambling in H.R. 2046. It is not enough to allow sports associations to say ``not on my game'' if Congress is sending the message to the public that sports gambling is fine. If we are going to consider any loosening of laws against online gambling, we need to say ``not on sports, period.''

But yesterday I received a letter from Stuart Eizenstat, a very well- respected trade expert who was formerly U.S. Ambassador to the European Union and Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, writing on behalf of the National Football League. Ambassador Eizenstat's letter informs me that, under the present circumstances, even ``not on sports, period'' could leave the NFL and other great American athletic institutions vulnerable to assault by the offshore gambling interests who want to make money off the popularity of these games.

According to Ambassador Eizenstat's letter, a law that legalizes most online gambling but includes limited exceptions, such as a sports gambling exception, will be vulnerable to attack in the World Trade Organization. If the WTO rules against the U.S. law, the U.S would have to choose between eliminating the exception--feeding our treasured sports to the gambling wolves--or paying billions in compensation to our trading partners. I, for one, think we should avoid having to decide which of these is the lesser of two evils if we can.

It appears that the U.S. does have a way out, by withdrawing any commitments to free trade in gambling. The U.S. Trade Representative is currently in the middle of negotiating this withdrawal. But this requires compensation too, for taking away market access from our trading partners. How much compensation? Not much at all, given that almost all Internet gambling is illegal. But if we make it legal, even if sports gambling is excluded, then there is a big legal market for which we will owe compensation.

As Ambassador Eizenstat says, ``withdrawal negotiations should be brought to a conclusion before Congress passes any new gambling legislation.'' In the interest of protecting American athletics, I plan to take this advice to heart.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter Ambassador Eizenstat's letter into the Record.

Covington & Burling, LLP,

Washington, DC, September 24th, 2007.

Hon. Edolphus Towns,

Rayburn House Office Building,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Towns: I am writing on behalf of the

National Football League, NFL, to urge you to oppose H.R.

2046, the ``Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement

Act,'' which would legalize Internet gambling. Along with all

other major U.S. professional and amateur sports

associations, the NFL is very concerned about protecting the

integrity of American athletics from the adverse effects of

sports gambling. As the recent National Basketball

Association referee scandal shows, this is a very real

concern. From a trade perspective, H.R. 2046 is fundamentally

flawed. This bill, and any other legislation legalizing

Internet gambling, also may have the unintended consequence

of giving foreign service suppliers greater access to the

U.S. market in a range of services sectors.

H.R. 2046 reverses 50 years of U.S. public policy by

endorsing and legalizing sports betting, and it vastly

expands access to all forms of gambling. Although the bill

allows sports leagues and states to opt out of this gambling

legalization scheme, these exceptions may be successfully

challenged in the World Trade Organization, WTO, under

existing trade rules. While the WTO General Agreement on

Trade in Services permits a

complete gambling prohibition that is ``necessary to protect

public morals,'' a patchwork approach that legalizes most

gambling and includes limited opt outs may be difficult to

defend. Indeed, Antigua's WTO counsel, emboldened by

Antigua's successful challenge to current U.S. laws that

prohibit gambling, already has stated his belief that the opt

out provisions in H.R. 2046 are inconsistent with the United

States' WTO commitments. Given Antigua's past success in

challenging U.S. anti-gambling statutes in the WTO and

Antigua's current demands for $3.4 billion in compensation,

the stakes are high. Passage of H.R. 2046 could well lead to

further WTO litigation.

After losing the gambling dispute with Antigua, the United

States Trade Representative (USTR) took the important step

last May of notifying the WTO of its intent to modify its WTO

commitments to explicitly exclude gambling and betting

services. The USTR is now in the process of negotiating with

eight WTO countries who claim that they are adversely

affected by this withdrawal. These withdrawal negotiations

should be brought to a conclusion before Congress passes any

new gambling legislation. This is especially so since passage

of H.R. 2046 would, for the first time, create a legal

American market for Internet gambling, significantly

complicating ongoing negotiations and making it much more

costly to withdraw the U.S. commitment on gambling

services.

Specifically, as part of the withdrawal negotiations, the

United States has to make ``compensatory adjustments,'' i.e.,

further open the U.S. services market to foreign suppliers to

compensate for the withdrawal of the gambling services

commitment. Currently, given that remote gambling services

are largely illegal in the United States, the access that

foreigners will get to the U.S. market as a result of the

gambling commitment withdrawal is minimal. Passage of H.R.

2046 will create a large, legal gambling market in the United

States. Foreigners will then be able to demand far greater

access to the U.S. market in the ongoing withdrawal

negotiations. Greater market access demands could conceivably

impact the U.S. financial services sector, the

telecommunications sector, and others.

The negative impact of H.R. 2046 on U.S. industries and

U.S. trade negotiations could be significant. This bill--and,

in fact, any bill that authorizes Internet gambling of any

kind--will greatly complicate the USTR's efforts to withdraw

the United States' gambling commitment by providing foreign

countries with leverage to demand greater access to the U.S.

services market. Furthermore, under the current WTO rules,

the bill's opt out provisions for sports leagues and states

could very likely be challenged in the WTO, potentially

leading to a situation where foreign gambling companies could

provide gambling services to Americans over the objections of

the NFL, other sports leagues, and state governments. For all

of these reasons, I urge you to oppose H.R. 2046 and any

other proposals to legalize Internet gambling in the United

States.

Sincerely,

Stuart E. Eizenstat.

Madam Speaker, on August 4, the Indian newspaper and website Tehelka, which has done significant work exposing corruption in India, published a report on the 1985 Air India bombing, which was the worst terrorist incident involving aircraft until September 11, 2001. In the report, they produce new evidence that the Indian Government was responsible for the attack, which killed 329 innocent people.

The new report discusses the interrogation of the late Babbar Khalsa leader Talwinder Singh Parmar, who was considered by the Indians to be one of the masterminds of the attack. It should be noted that Babbar Khalsa was and is heavily infiltrated by the Indian Government and has been pretty much under its control

In his interrogation, Parmar points the finger of responsibility straight at the Indian Government. The documents, obtained from the Punjab Human Rights Organization, PHRO, which conducted a 7-year investigation, were supposed to have been destroyed by the interrogating officer, but he secretly kept them all this time.

Parmar identifies Lakhbir Singh Rode as a mastermind of the bombing. Rode is head of the International Sikh Youth Federation. According to PHRO, Rode is an agent of the Indian Government. Sarabjit Singh, chief investigator for the PHRO, reports that Parmar was ordered killed to cover up Rode's involvement.

Parmar was supposed to have been killed in an encounter with police, but the PHRO pointed out that he had been in police custody for some time at the time he was killed. PHRO reports that there is ``conclusive evidence'' that Parmar was killed in police custody.

With this information coming on top of the mountain of evidence produced by Zuhair Kashmeri and Brian McAndrew in their book Soft Target and the report by former Member of Parliament David Kilgour in his book Betrayed: The Spy Canada Abandoned, in which he reports that a Canadian-Polish double agent was approached by representatives of the Indian Government asking him to become involved in a second bombing because ``the first one worked so well,'' there can be no doubt that the Indian Government itself is the real culprit behind this act of terrorism. The links are just too strong.

State terrorism is unacceptable whether it is carried out by the Taliban in Afghanistan, by Mr. Ahmadinejad in Iran, by some tinhorn dictator in Latin America, or by the ``world's largest democracy.'' We cannot let this stand. The time has come to stop our aid to India, end our trade, and speak out strongly for self-determination, the cornerstone of democracy, throughout South Asia. Only then will these kinds of abuses, designed to set up one ethnic or religious group as ``terrorists'' so they can be killed, come to an end.

I request the permission of the House to place the Tehelka article in the Record for the information of my colleagues and the public.

Kanishka Tragedy--Operation Silence

(By Vikram Jit Singh)

Fifteen years after Babbar Khalsa International leader

Talwinder Singh Parmar, one of the two alleged masterminds of

the mid-air bombing of Air India's Kanishka airplane, was

shown as having being killed in an encounter in Punjab,

retired Punjab Police DSP Harmail Singh Chandi, who nabbed

Parmar from Jammu in September 1992 and interrogated him for

five days before he was killed along with five others, has

come forward with the claim that Parmar was killed in police

custody on the orders of senior police officers, who also

asked his confession record to be destroyed. In his

confession, Parmar had named Lakhbir Singh Brar ``Rode'',

nephew of the late Bhindranwale and head of the banned

International Sikh Youth Federation, as the mastermind of the

bombing. Rode, who is now said to be holed up in Lahore, has

never figured in the investigations of either the CBI or the

Canadian authorities.

Chandi has brought forward the entire record of Parmar's

confession, including audio tapes and statements, before the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the John Major

Commission of Inquiry that is reinvestigating the June 23,

1985 blast that claimed 331 lives off the Irish coast. Chandi

had been ordered by senior officers to destroy the records

but he retained them secretly. The record was brought before

the Major Commission due to seven-year-long investigations by

the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO), a Chandigarh-

based ngo that conducted interviews of Parmar's associates in

India and Canada and pieced together a comprehensive report.

The PHRO's Principal Investigator Sarbjit Singh and lawyer

Rajvinder Singh Bains flew to Canada along with Harmail in

June and produced their findings before the Commission's

counsels.

A Canadian citizen, Parmar was shown as having been killed

in an exchange of fire between police and six militants in

the wee hours of October 15, 1992, near village Kang Arian in

Phillar sub-division. However, evidence brought forward by

Harmail (who was then DSP, Phillaur) shows that Parmar was

interrogated between October 9 and 14 by senior police

officers, where he revealed that the blasts were instigated

by Lakhbir Singh Brar Rode.

Parmar's confession reads: ``Around May 1985, a functionary

of the International Sikh Youth Federation came to me and

introduced himself as Lakhbir Singh and asked me for help in

conducting some violent activities to express the resentment

of the Sikhs. I told him to come after a few days so that I

could arrange for dynamite and battery etc. He told me that

he would first like to see a trial of the blast . . . After

about four days, Lakhbir Singh and another youth, Inderjit

Singh Reyat, both came to me. We went into the jungle (of

British Columbia). There we joined a dynamite stick with a

battery and triggered off a blast. Lakhbir and Inderjit, even

at that time, had in their minds a plan to blast an

aeroplane. I was not too keen on this plan but agreed to

arrange for the dynamite sticks. Inderjit wanted to use for

this purpose a transistor fitted with a battery . . . That

very day, they took dynamite sticks from me and left.

``Then Lakhbir Singh, Inderjit Singh and their accomplice,

Manjit Singh, made a plan to plant bombs in an Air India (AI)

plane leaving from Toronto via London for Delhi and another

flight that was to leave Tokyo for Bangkok. Lakhbir Singh got

the seat booking done from Vancouver to Tokyo and then

onwards to Bangkok, while Manjit Singh got it done from

Vancouver to Toronto and then from Toronto to Delhi. Inderjit

prepared the bags for the flights, which were loaded with

dynamite bombs fitted with a battery and transistor. They

decided that the suitcases will be booked but they themselves

will not travel by the same flights although they will take

the boarding passes. After preparing these bombs, the plan

was ready for execution by June 21 or 22, 1985. However, the

bomb to be kept in the flight from Tokyo to Delhi via Bangkok

exploded at the Narita airport on the conveyor belt. The

second suitcase that was loaded on the Toronto-Delhi ai

flight exploded in the air.''

Sarabjit said the PHRO's probe has shown that Parmar was

killed to hide the name of Lakhbir, who was an Indian agent.

``After the Khalistan movement gained in sympathy in the

West, especially in Canada, after the 1984 Blue Star

operation and the killing of Sikhs in Delhi, a plot was

hatched to discredit the Sikh movement. Parmar was roped in

by Lakhbir at the behest of his masters. The Punjab Police

got orders to finish off Parmar as he knew too much about the

main perpetrators. On the day of the Kanishka blast, an

explosion took place at Japan's Narita airport, where two

Japanese baggage handlers were killed. The plot was to

trigger blasts when the two aircraft had de-embarked their

passengers but the 1 hour 40 minute delay in Kanishka's

takeoff led to the bomb exploding mid-air,'' Sarbjit said.

What gives credence to Sarabjit's charge is the Source

Report (in Tehelka's possession) prepared by the Jalandhar

Police soon after Parmar was killed. Based on information

provided by Parmar--though not attributing it to his

interrogation--the report makes no reference to Lakhbir.

Interestingly, Lakhbir, accused in many acts of terrorist

violence, is wanted by the Indian Government in only a minor

case registered in Moga, Punjab. The Red Corner Interpol

notice, A-23/1-1997, put out by the CBI against Lakhbir

states: ``OFFENCES: House breaking, theft, damage by fire.''

The PHRO told Canadian authorities that conclusive evidence

existed of Parmar being killed in police custody and not in

the ``encounter'' shown in FIR No 105 registered at Phillaur

police station on October 15, 1992. The PHRO report, AI

Flight 182 Case, states ``On October 14, 1992, a high-level

decision was conveyed to the police that Parmar had to be

killed . . . The contradiction in the FIR and post-mortem

report (PMR) is too obvious. As per the FIR, Parmar was

killed by AK-47 fire by SSP Satish K Sharma from a rooftop.

The PMR shows the line of fire of the three bullets is

different. It cannot be if one person is firing from a fixed

position. The PMR is very sketchy and no chemical analysis

was done. Moreover, the time of death is between 12am and 2am

according to the PMR, whereas the FIR records the time of

death at 5.30am.'' Then Jalandhar SSP and now IGP, Satish K

Sharma, denied the charge. ``It was a clean encounter. The

RCMP is bringing this up because they botched their

investigations and failed to get convictions,'' he said.

Madam Speaker, on September 22, the Tribune newspaper of Chandigarh reported that a Sikh woman by the name of Lakhbir Kaur held a press conference to expose the murder of her brother, Kinder Singh, by the Indian police. Kinder Singh was an innocent truck driver. He was killed in one of the fake encounters that continue to plague Punjab and other minority areas of India. Kinder Singh was just 20 years old when ``the world's largest democracy'' snuffed out his life.

Apparently, Kinder Singh was a victim of India's policy of paying bounties to police officers for killing ``militants.'' When he was killed, the police claimed that they had killed a man named Jaspal Singh, who had a bounty of Rs. 5 lakh, 500,000 rupees, or about $13,000, on his head. In a country where two-thirds of the populace lives on 40 cents per day, $13,000 is a massive amount of money.

Jaspal Singh. the person who was allegedly killed in the encounter, sat right next to Ms. Kaur during her announcement. He is not the first person to have been proclaimed dead by the Indian government who has turned up alive. Several years ago, the New York Post reported on another man who had to sue the government to have himself declared alive. This is not uncommon in India.

Also there was Colonel G.S. Sandhu of the Majha Ex-Servicemen Human Rights Front. He detailed how Kinder Singh was pulled out of his truck by the police and killed for no apparent reason except to collect the bounty. This is one of over 41,000 cash bounties that our State Department says the Indian Government paid to police for killing Sikhs. One policeman got a cash bounty for killing a three-year-old boy.

Colonel Sandhu demanded that a retired High Court judge conduct a probe into the massive atrocities of the police. He has set up a hotline to report terrorist incidents. We salute Lakhbir Kaur for her courage and we salute Colonel Sandhu for his efforts. I second his call for an impartial probe of the atrocities committed in Punjab.

Unfortunately, the repression is ongoing. Even today, people get arrested for acts such as marching, making speeches, and raising a flag. We cannot accept this, Madam Speaker. We need to stop providing financial support for the Indian regime by stopping our aid and trade, and we need to put the U.S. Congress on record in support of self- determination for the Sikhs of Khalistan, the Christians of Nagalim, the Muslims of Kashmir, and all the oppressed minorities of South Asia. Until the people have their freedom and self-determination, atrocities like the one that happened to Lakhbir Kaur's family will sadly continue.

I would like to place the Tribune article on Lakhbir Kaur into the Record at this time.

Mistaken Identity or Fake Encounter?

Amritsar, September 21, 2007: In what could be yet another

case of mistaken identity or a planned fake encounter, the

sister of a victim here today claimed that the actual

``militant'' the police claimed to have killed was still

alive.

Lakhbir Kaur alleged that the police killed her brother,

Kinder Singh, who was an innocent truck driver, on August 13,

1993, for no reason. Interestingly, Jaspal Singh, who had an

award of Rs 5 lakh on his head and was shown killed in police

files, was still alive. He was present with Lakhbir Kaur here

today.

Addressing a press conference, Col G.S. Sandhu, chairman of

the Majha ExServicemen Human Rights Front & NGO Aapna Punjab,

demanded a probe by a retired high court judge to bring out

the truth of fake encounters so that compensation could be

given to the families of the victims.

``Kinder Singh of Nagoke (20) was pulled out of a truck in

Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, and shot dead. The story planted

was that militant Jaspal Singh of Nangli, carrying a reward

of Rs 5 lakh, was shot in a police encounter. Kunan Singh,

father of Kinder Singh, sold his 3 acres of land and shifted

to UP and the family is now living in abject poverty,'' said

Colonel Sandhu.

``Already, leaks from police sources suggest that Kinder

Singh and Sukhpal Singh of Kala Afghana were killed as a

result of mistaken identity as no reward money was claimed

and the records being old have been destroyed as per laid

down rules and now it is difficult to pinpoint responsibility

at this stage. The issue is why the families of the two

victims were not informed about their deaths,'' he

questioned.

Colonel Sandhu demanded ``the state should not shy away

from admitting past mistakes, render apology, provide

compensation and bring the guilty to the book.'' He also

sought downsizing of the top-heavy police in Punjab. He has

also started a terror help line in Tarn Taran.

Madam Speaker, recently, Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon, Chairman of the Sikh Educational Trust and Managing Editor of the international Journal of Sikh Affairs, wrote to President Bush. He noted that ``Sikhs live in peace and harmony in every democracy in the world; India is the only exception.''

In his excellent letter, Dr. Sekhon outlines the tyranny and abuse the Sikhs have been subjected to in India. While India talks and talks about being ``the world's largest democracy,'' it continues to commit atrocities against the Sikhs, Christians, Muslims, and other minorities. Madam Speaker, the essence of democracy is self- determination.

As if the murders of 250,000 Sikhs by the Indian government (the number comes from the Punjab State Magistracy and human-rights groups) wasn't enough, Sikhs from outside India must get the formal permission of the Indian government to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the seat of Sikhism, equivalent to the Vatican of the Sikhs. Suppose that Catholics were barred from Vatican City without permission of the Italian government. Do you think the world would be up in arms about that? Yet, the equivalent condition is imposed upon the Sikhs and nobody says a word. That is how deeply India's propaganda about being ``the world's largest democracy'' has permeated the world's perceptions, thanks to massive amounts of money spent to propagate this viewpoint through lobbying and media manipulation. It is time to wake up. Madam Speaker. It is time to call India on the carpet for its persecution of minorities.

If the tyranny against the Sikhs were all that India was doing, that would be bad enough. But it is compounded by the persecution of Christians and Muslims, as well as other minorities such as Assamese, Bodos, Dalits, Manipuris, Tamils, and others.

In Gujarat, 2,000 to 5,000 Muslims were killed in riots that a policeman told the newspapers were planned and organized by the Indian government. It has killed over 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir while refusing to give the Kashmiris self-determination via a free and fair plebiscite on their status, as India promised the United Nations in 1948.

Christians have been prime targets of Indian persecution. Churches have been burned. Nuns have been raped and forced to drink their own urine, to the cheers of militant Hindu organizations such as the pro- Fascist Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), which produced a booklet on how to implicate Christians and other minorities in false criminal cases. Priests have been murdered, schools and prayer halls have been vandalized, and more than 300,000 Christians have been killed in Nagaland at the hands of the Indian government. Missionary Graham Staines was killed by a mob of Hindu militants along with his eight- year-old son. The killers poured gasoline over their jeep, set it on fire, and chanted ``Victory to Hannuman.'' Missionary Joseph Cooper, an American, was expelled from the country after he was beaten up so badly that he had to spend a week in an Indian hospital. A Christian religious festival on the theme ``Jesus is the Answer'' was broken up by police gunfire after people there distributed religious literature.

In several Indian states, there are laws prohibiting anyone from converting to any religion but Hinduism.

Madam Speaker, this is unacceptable. We must support the rights of these minorities by stopping American aid to India and stopping our trade with India as well. It's clearly not benefitting the Indian people. Two thirds of the population lives on less than half a dollar a day. We must also demand a free and fair vote on independence for the Sikhs of Khalistan, the Christians of Nagalim, the Muslims of Kashmir, and all the various peoples seeking their freedom from India.

Madam Speaker, I would like to add Dr. Sekhon's excellent letter to the Record at this time.

The Sikh Educational Trust,

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 30, 2007.

Re: violation of religious and political rights of Sikhs in

India.

Hon. George W. Bush,

President, United States of America, The White House,

Washington, DC.

Honourable President, I am writing this letter to seek your

intervention in the religious affairs of the Sikhs,

especially the Diaspora Sikhs in North America, Europe and

other continents.

The Sikhs live in peace and harmony in every democracy in

the world; India is the only exception. In fact, the Sikhs

are treated as slaves even in the Punjab, which is the holy

and historic homeland of the Sikhs. This is because the

ruling class consists of Brahmins--who are only 4 percent of

the population along with 10-11 percent of Hindus of other

castes. Although a majority in the Punjab, the Sikhs are 2.5

percent of the huge population of India that is approximately

1.1 billion. It is because of the denial of the right of

self-determination in our land that India is able to

marginalized the Sikhs as a small minority. The Hindu-Brahmin

rulers have pursued their anti-human agenda: (i) practice of

unsociability against the native majority who are 65 percent

of the population, and (ii) persecution of mono-theistic

faiths--the Sikhs, the Christians and the Muslims, by

maintaining an environment of fear and of crushing poverty.

In June 1984, even the facade of Secular Tolerance was

discarded when the Indian Army assaulted the holiest shrine

of the Sikhs--the Darbar Sahib (also known as the Golden

Temple) including the Supreme Seat of Sikh Polity, the Akal

Takht Sahib, killing tens of thousands of devotees inside the

temple. The Indian administration has ever since maintained

heavy presence of its intelligence and armed personnel in the

state. No Sikh from outside India can visit his/her holy

place and the seat of Sikhs' polity without having a formal

`visa' endorsement in their passport from the Indian Embassy

or Consulate. Mr President, this constitutes a violation of

the Sikhs' religious rights. Pilgrimage to pay respect to

Gurus is a right that should not depend on the caprice of a

government. It certainly should not depend on the goodwill of

a state that has not just failed to protect but has actually

been an instrument of our persecution and destruction of our

holy sites by wanton bombardment.

Mr. President, India is interfering in my religious

affairs. As a free citizen of a free country. I cannot

approve of the way the Sikhs are treated in India; I cannot

condone the assault of the Indian Army on Darbar Sahib in

June 1984; I cannot support that the Sikhs relinquish their

right to self-determination. I am required to do all this in

order to get a visa. And if I did any of these things, I

would not be a Sikh. That means, in order to get an Indian

visa, I am required to renounce my faith. That cannot be

acceptable.

Mr. President, no Roman Catholic needs a visa to visit the

Vatican, no Jew is prevented from visiting Jerusalem, a visa

cannot be denied to a Muslim to go to Mecca, why do the Sikhs

need to have India's Hindu/Brahmins (neither a religion nor a

culture), permission to visit their holiest shrine? Indian

administration's control of the Sikhs' shrines constitutes an

intervention into their religious affairs. That's why,

Honourable President, none of the elected representatives of

the Sikhs accepted/initiated/endorsed the Indian Constitution

of 1950. Under Article 25 of that Constitution, the Sikh

faith and national

identity was `de-recognized'. The Sikhs were constitutionally

`exterminated'. Because of this blatant injustice, the Sikhs,

elected representatives--Sardar Hukam Singh, MP; Sardar

Bhupinder Singh Maan, MP; and Sirdar Kapur Singh, ICS, MP,

MLA and National Professor of Sikhism--`Rejected' the Indian

Constitution of 1950 and its Article 25, in its draft and

final forms, every time it was put to vote in the Indian

parliament--in 1948, on 26th November, 1949, in 1950 and on

6th September, 1966.

Honourable President, the question is why we, the Sikh

citizens of the United States and Canada, of Europe, Far

East, and other continents should need a `Visa' or the

permission of the predominantly Hindu-Brahmin administration.

Especially after the June, 1984 assault on Darbar Sahib

Complex--which is the Sikh Vatican--and an `undeclared' war

on the Sikhs ever since. This undeclared war has taken a

heavy toll. The ``Operation Bluestar'' of June, 1984 was

blessed by the government of a so-called `democratic' state.

The desecration of their holy places and wanton massacre of

the Sikhs was carried out for no reason other than their

demanding the right of self-determination honouring the

pledges made to the Sikhs by Mahatma Gandhi and Prime

Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. More than 250,000 innocent Sikh

(majority of whom were infants, children, youth, females and

the elderly have been killed by Indian security forces. This

is the hallmark of a fascist oligarchy, not a democracy.

In recent months, the arrests of Simranjit Singh Mann,

Chief of Akali Dal Amritsar, Mann's vice president, Daljit

Singh Dittu and the arrest warrants of an Editor and

academic, Dr Sukhpreet Singh Udhoke, provide further evidence

that repression of the Sikhs continues even in the Sikh

majority state of the Punjab, the administration of which is

headed by a Sikh, Prakash Badal. The former two are being

tried, along with 30 other Sikhs, on charges of `treason'.

Treason against who? How does the Indian Constitution apply

to the Sikhs when the Sikhs' elected representatives

`rejected' it repeatedly?

Mr. President, there is great anxiety among the Sikhs in

Diaspora over the denial of their religious and political

rights and repression of dissent. If India is not restrained

by the international community and its leader--the USA--peace

and security in the whole region would be undermined. In

retrospect and historically, India was never a country; it

was an empire (the British Empire). In its belly there are

many peoples with legitimate right to self-determination--in

Kashmir (mainly Muslim) in the Punjab (mainly Sikhs) in the

states of Assam (mainly Christian) who are not a part of the

Indian nation. The issues relating to the native majority--

the children of lesser gods--encompass a huge section of

humanity, as many as 700 million people. All this cannot be

swept under the carpet or buried under slogans like `India

Shining'. The Sikhs want their own sovereign state--as they

had been (1799 to 14th March, 1849, under a Sikh monarch

Ranjit Singh) before the British take over, as an ``annexed''

state, of the Punjab in 1849. Until then, we want

unrestricted access to our holy places. No Sikh should need a

visa to go to the Punjab. And peaceful dissent should not

just be tolerated; it should be respected and honoured. Is

dissent not the hall mark of democracy?

I shall look forward to hearing from you.

With regards,

Respectfully submitted,

Awatar Singh Sekhon.

Madam Speaker, as I stated here a couple of months ago, I believe very strongly that whatever our policy is on other types of gambling, we need to maintain a firm line against any form of sports gambling. Gambling on sports events undermines the integrity of American athletics. It can create corruption or the appearance of corruption, and it taints the image of sports as wholesome, family- friendly entertainment.

I also stated that I opposed legalization of online sports gambling in H.R. 2046. It is not enough to allow sports associations to say ``not on my game'' if Congress is sending the message to the public that sports gambling is fine. If we are going to consider any loosening of laws against online gambling, we need to say ``not on sports, period.''

But yesterday I received a letter from Stuart Eizenstat, a very well- respected trade expert who was formerly U.S. Ambassador to the European Union and Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, writing on behalf of the National Football League. Ambassador Eizenstat's letter informs me that, under the present circumstances, even ``not on sports, period'' could leave the NFL and other great American athletic institutions vulnerable to assault by the offshore gambling interests who want to make money off the popularity of these games.

According to Ambassador Eizenstat's letter, a law that legalizes most online gambling but includes limited exceptions, such as a sports gambling exception, will be vulnerable to attack in the World Trade Organization. If the WTO rules against the U.S. law, the U.S would have to choose between eliminating the exception--feeding our treasured sports to the gambling wolves--or paying billions in compensation to our trading partners. I, for one, think we should avoid having to decide which of these is the lesser of two evils if we can.

It appears that the U.S. does have a way out, by withdrawing any commitments to free trade in gambling. The U.S. Trade Representative is currently in the middle of negotiating this withdrawal. But this requires compensation too, for taking away market access from our trading partners. How much compensation? Not much at all, given that almost all Internet gambling is illegal. But if we make it legal, even if sports gambling is excluded, then there is a big legal market for which we will owe compensation.

As Ambassador Eizenstat says, ``withdrawal negotiations should be brought to a conclusion before Congress passes any new gambling legislation.'' In the interest of protecting American athletics, I plan to take this advice to heart.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter Ambassador Eizenstat's letter into the record.