Expressing Sympathy for the People of India in aftermath of the Deadly Terrorist Attacks on July 11, 2006
EXPRESSING SYMPATHY FOR THE PEOPLE OF INDIA IN AFTERMATH OF THE DEADLY TERRORIST ATTACKS ON JULY 11, 2006
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Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution and thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
I want to thank Mr. Lantos for his leadership, along with Representative Leach for everything that he has done on this issue, and Congressman Wilson as well; and my cochair of the India Caucus, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for her great leadership, and I especially single out Mr. Crowley of New York for his role in bringing this resolution to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, sadly on July 11, 2006, we have a date which will join the litany of the all-too-familiar terrorist attacks, along with the July bombings in London last year, the Madrid bombings in 2004, the Bali bombings in 2002, and, of course, the September 11 attacks on us.
What is also sad is this is not the first time Mumbai has been attacked. In fact, Mumbai has suffered from terrorist attacks since 1993. Indeed, India itself has been the victim of various forms of terrorism since its founding.
Last week's bombings are simply a continuation of India's ongoing struggle with terrorists. Eight bombs were planted by terrorists in the western commuter railway in Mumbai on July 11. Seven of them exploded. They were timed for the height of the rush hour, with the obvious premeditated intent to kill and maim as many innocent people as possible. The resulting explosions left as many as 200 innocent people dead and over 700 people wounded. The response by the authorities and the people of Mumbai to aid the wounded and comfort the families and friends was extraordinary.
The bombings horrified decent people everywhere and were condemned by leaders from all over the globe, including the G-8.
Terrorism is a disease. It is a cancer on the body of humanity, and all nations that oppose terrorism should work shoulder to shoulder to make sure that this scourge is not just cured, but eliminated. The Government of India has long recognized this truth, and in the wake of September 11, 2001, and its attacks on the United States, India was indeed the first nation to step forward and offer its assistance to our Nation.
Let us do the same for India. Let us be prepared not just to offer our condolences and sympathy, but our renewed and reinvigorated commitment to defeating terrorism globally.
I thank the Speaker, and I urge my colleagues to stand with India against terrorism and to support them and this resolution.
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