[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S16723-S16724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RELEASE OF PRISONERS FROM VIETNAM

  Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I was very pleased to learn of the release 
today of two American prisoners in Vietnam. They are Mr. Nguyen Tan Tri 
and Mr. Tran Quang Liem. Both Mr. Tri and Mr. Liem will arrive in the 
United States today.
  The American citizens were detained 2 years ago, along with Steven 
Young, a constituent of mine and a well-known promoter of democracy in 
Vietnam. The three Americans were in Vietnam organizing a conference on 
democracy with Vietnamese activists.
  Unfortunately, the right to free speech is not yet recognized in 
Vietnam, and the three Americans were detained without charge. Steve 
Young was released within a few days, but Tri and Liem languished in 
poor health in a Vietnamese prison for nearly 2 years before they were 
charged, tried, and convicted of treason in mid-August. Sentences of 7 
years for Tri and 4 years for Liem were then issued.
  As a member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Eastern Asia and 
Pacific Affairs, I made this matter a top priority. On September 19, I 
passed Senate Resolution 174, which was cosponsored by my colleagues 
Mr. Dole, Mr. Helms, and Mr. Thomas. The resolution called for U.S. 
Government intervention at the highest levels to secure freedom for 
these Americans. At the time it did not appear that Secretary-level 
contact had been made in this matter, something that I believed was 
essential after the normalization with Vietnam. Suitable contacts were 
subsequently made, allowing us to communicate how important the release 
of these two Americans was to our Government and to the relationship 
between our two countries.
  On October 12, I met with family members of Mr. Tri and Mr. Liem, who 
had traveled to Washington from Texas and California to urge the 
Government to give this matter the same priority that it gave to the 
release of Harry Wu. The families were concerned about the health of 
the American prisoners, as well as the poor prison conditions to which 
they were subjected. They were informed by the State Department 
officials that release had become a top priority for the 
administration.
  Mr. President, shortly after this meeting, it appeared that the 
Vietnamese were becoming more interested in resolving this matter. The 
rumors out of Vietnam were rampant. Several times we heard that there 
would be a retrial. We heard that there would be a release about the 
same time of President Le's visit to the United States to attend the 
U.N. anniversary celebration. We then heard the retrial would 

[[Page S 16724]]
occur the weekend of October 28, followed by conviction and expulsion 
from the country. Finally, a commitment was made that the release would 
occur this past weekend in Vietnam.
  While all of this goes to show that freedom of speech and due process 
are still scarce in Vietnam, I am pleased that normalization has 
apparently given us more tools to pursue issues of dispute with the 
Vietnamese Government. The two Americans have now been released, but 
many political prisoners, whose only crime has been to address issues 
of religious and political freedom, remain locked away in Vietnamese 
prisons.
  I am encouraged as well that the Vietnamese have been more 
forthcoming with the release of information about MIA's and POW's after 
normalization. We must continue our efforts with Vietnam to pursue a 
full accounting, as my resolution also has requested.
  Again, I applaud the personal intervention of Secretary Warren 
Christopher and Secretary Lord on this important matter, and I also 
look forward to working with them to pursue our mutual goals now that 
we have normalized our relationships with Vietnam.
  To Mr. Tri and to Mr. Liem I say, Welcome home.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor. I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ashcroft). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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