355 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018

Tel: 2120760-9903 Fax: 212-760-9906

 


                                                                                                            14 November 2003

                                   

Ways and Means Committee

 

 

Dear Representative______,
 

We write to you as current or former staff of organizations working in the Lao People's Democratic Republic or neighboring countries; as academic specialists on Laos and Southeast Asia; and as analysts of US relations with Laos. Based on our professional knowledge and personal experience, we strongly support H.R. 3195, which would grant approval of Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status for Laos, and urge that the House Ways and Means Committee take action to expedite the passage of the bill as soon as possible.

Laos is one of the world’s poorest countries, ranking 143rd out of 173 countries based on the United Nations Human Development Indicators. Half the population lives below the government’s own defined poverty line. Laos has the lowest life expectancy in Southeast Asia, and the highest adult illiteracy rate in the region, particularly among women.

The economic isolation which results from withholding NTR from Laos makes finding solutions to these problems all the more difficult. Laos is the only country with which the US has normal full diplomatic ties but not normal trade relations and thus faces the highest tariffs in the world. In the absence of NTR, typical American tariffs on Laotian goods average 45%, and rise as high as 90% on some products. By contrast, for the great majority of America’s 223 trading partners, tariffs average 2.4%.

We believe that granting NTR to Laos could have a significant effect on the Laotian economy. For comparison, since trade was normalized in 1996, Cambodian exports to the US have jumped to a billion dollars worth of clothes, which in turn has created 200,000 urban jobs. This has enabled Cambodia to become one of the first “least developed countries” to enter the World Trade Organization. In Vietnam, trade with the US more than doubled in the first year after NTR was granted and we are now Vietnam’s largest export market.

In view of the strides made toward trade normalization with these two countries, there is no justification for allowing economic relations with Laos to remain a vestige of the Vietnam war. The Bush administration has praised Laos for its bilateral cooperation in recent years, in areas such as narcotics interdiction and counter-terrorism, as well as with the search for the remains of American military missing in action. Ironically, Laos is the only country in Indochina with which the US never broke diplomatic relations yet it still suffers unjustified economic sanctions.

We know from our work with the Lao people that they are eager to develop their skills and their economy. In the coming year, Laos will assume the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the first time, and is working to meet the challenge of its increasing participation in the region and the international community. At the same time, Laotians are anxious to preserve traditional arts and skills that define their culture, and that maintain ethnic diversity. Granting NTR to Laos will enable handicraft cooperatives to market their products and thus to act as the everyday guardians of Laotian culture.

We urge you and the Ways and Means Committee to support Normal Trade Relations for Laos and to help move this process forward as quickly as possible.

Sincerely,

*        Charles Alton, Senior Research Advisor, UNDP, Vientiane, Lao PDR

*        Kristen Baynham, Handicraft designer, Mennonite Central Committee Laos and Ten Thousand Villages, Vientiane, Lao PDR

*        Sally Benson, Board Member, CHEER Foundation, Washington, DC

*        Sonelay Boualouang, Board Chair, Lao Chamber of Commerce, St. Paul, MN

*        Freddy Champagne, President, Veterans for Peace Chapter 22, Garberville, CA

*        Chansina, Secretary General ASLV, Importer of Lao Farmer Products, France

*        Arthur Crisfield, education advisor, Consortium in the Lao PDR, Vientiane, Lao PDR

*        Mary Kay Crouch, Professor, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA

*        Catharin Dalpino, Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

*        Dr. Yang Dao, Faculty member, University of Minnesota, Brooklyn Park, MN

*        Erik Davis, Graduate Student, University of Chicago,  Chicago, IL

*        David Elder, Regional Director for Asia, American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia, PA

*        Joe Eno, Martinez, CA

*        John Ferchek, Country Director, Quaker Service Lao PDR, Quakertown, PA

*        Jennifer Foley, Doctoral Candidate, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

*        Lindsay French, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI

*        Edward Gresser, Trade and Global Markets Project Director, Progressive Policy Institute, Washington, DC

*        James Hafner, Professor/Director Asian Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

*        Susan Hammond, Deputy Director, Fund for Reconciliation and Development, New York, NY

*        Arlyne Johnson, Country Program Director, World Conservation Society, Vientiane, Lao PDR

*        Maly Jong, Deputy Probation Officer, San Pablo, CA

*        Dr Ed Klein, regional Representative, Oxfam Belgique, Hanoi, Vietnam

*        Chea Muoy Kry, Representative, WPM (Women Peacemakers), Phnom Penh, Cambodia

*        Chao Lee, Engineer, Grand Rapids, MI

*        Lue Lee, Public Access Coordinator, Comcast, Lansing, MI

*        Tony Lee, Chemist/Entrepreneur, Illumination Technologies, Inc. Syracuse, NY

*        H. Leedom Lefferts Jr., Professor, Anthropology, Drew University, Washington, DC

*        Stuart Ling, Program Coordinator, Vredeseilanden-Coopibo, Houesay, Bokeo, Lao PDR

*        Bruce M. Lockhart, Assistant Prof., History Dept., National University of Singapore, Carlisle, PA

*        Anne Maltais, Assistant Country Director, Concern Worldwide, Vientiane, Lao PDR

*        John McAuliff, Executive Director, Fund for Reconciliation and Development, New York, NY

*        Tara McAuliff, Humanitarian Worker, Brooklyn, NY

*        Justin McDaniel, Doctor, Assistant Professor 

*        Pamela McElwee, Lecturer, Yale School of Forestry, New Haven, CT

*        Bong Munsayaphom, Program Coordinator, Oxfam Solidarity Belgium, Vientiane, Lao PDR

*        Adisack Nhouyvanisvong, Psychometrician, Pearson VUE, Minnetonka, MN

*        Stephen Nichols, Former Board Member and Chair of Executive Committee, International Voluntary Services Inc, Palm Springs, CA

*        Theodore Parnall, Professor of Law Emeritus, University of New Mexico School of Law, NE Albuquerque, NM

*        Bee C. Philaphandeth, Director of Supply Chain, KP group Inc., Aiea, Hi

*        Jeremy W. Potash, President, Potash & Co., Alameda, CA

*        Touk Praseuthsy, Research Analyst - , Ariel Capital Management Inc., Chicago, IL

*        John Raintree, Research Advisor, National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, Vientiane, Laos P

*        Phetpaseuth Ratsapho, Senior Accountant, Damiano & Burk,CPA PC, Lincoln, RI

*        Darouny Rattanavong, Managing Director, Vientiane International Consultants, Inc, Vientiane, Lao PDR

*        Richard Reece, Director, Village Focus International, Lao PDR, Portland, OR

*        Robert W. Resseguie, Project Manager, USAID PSC contractor, Dulles, VA

*        Allen Riedy, Head, Asia Collection, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, , HI

*        Roger Rumpf, International Consultant, Warrensburg, MO

*        Wayne Sakeo, President, Services 2000, Inc, St Paul, MN

*        Kham Sanavongsay, assistant technical designer, Sears, Roebuck and Co  

*        Arnold Schecter, Professor, University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas, TX

*        Christina Schwenkel, PhD Candidate, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA

*        Noy Seunsom, Research Engineer, Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc, Houston, TX

*        Steve Sherlock, President, Aid to Southeast Asia, Minneapolis, MN

*        Bruce Shoemaker, researcher/consultant, self employed, Minneapolis, MN

*        Nara S. Sihavong, President & C.E.O./Mekong Trading Company USA LLC, Lao Coffee Company, HI

*        Narin Sihavong, Vice President, Lao Coffee Company, Brooklyn Park, MN

*        Fancy Sinantha, Program Coordinator, Migration Policy Institute,  

*        Sadachanh  Sinantha, Carrier Agreements Negotiator , MCI, Chicago, IL

*        Bounlonh J. Soukamneuth, Ph.D. Student, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

*        Vilay Soulatha, Annandale, VA

*        Anousak Souphavanh, Project Manager/System Engineer,  

*        Stacy Spivak, SE Asia Buyer, Ten Thousand Villages,  Akron, PA

*        Bousa Stracey Tatpaporn, President/CEO., US-Lao Trading Company, San Pablo, CA

*        Kanong Tatpaporn, Owner/manager, Thai Lanna Restaurant, Martinez, CA

*        Sary Tatpaporn, Coordinator, Laotian-American National Coalition, San Pablo, CA

*        Tran Thanh Huyen, Project Coordinator, Oxfam Quebec, Hanoi, Vietnam

*        Touxia Thaoxaochay, Former Mayor of Mouangphone, Laos, Clovis, CA

*        WilliamTuffin, Marketing Director, The Boat Landing Guest house, Nam Luangtha, Lao PDR

*        Alicia Turner, PhD Student, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

*        Charles H. Twining, Former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, former Director for Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam at the Department of State in Washington,  Bethesda, MD

*        Bran van Grootheest, Team Leader, Reformed World Relief Committee of North America, Vientiane, Laos

*        Lao-Thai Vang, President/CEO, Irvine, CA

*        Andrew Wells-Dang, Regional Director, Fund for Reconciliation and Development, Hanoi, Vietnam

*        Nurina Widagdo, Regional Director, East Asia Regional Office, Oxfam America, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

*        Caroline Wischmann, President, International Craft Consultants, Inc, Philadelphia, PA

*        Brantley Womack, Professor of Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VN

*        Sarah Whitney Womack, lecturer, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

*        Linda Yarr, Executive Director, Program for International Students in Asia, George Washington University, Bethesda, MD

*        Rev. Kenneth G., Pastor, Lutheran Church, York Springs, PA

 

 

* Organization listed for identification purposes only.

 

 

cc:    Charles Grassley, Chair, Senate Finance Committee
        Richard Lugar, Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
        Henry Hyde, Chair, House Committee on International Relations
        James Leach, Chair, House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, International
              Relations Committee
        Samuel Brownback, Chair, Senate Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, Foreign
              Relations Committee
        The Honorable Colin Powell, Secretary of State
        The Honorable Robert Zoellick, US Trade Representative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further information contact:

Susan Hammond, Deputy Director, Fund for Reconciliation and Development, 355 West 39th Street, NY, NY 10018. Tel: 212-760-9903 Fax: 212-760-9906 Email: shammond@ffrd.org