[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SOLIDARITY IN ORANGE COUNTY

  (Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, during the August recess I joined over 
2,000 of my constituent to rally in support of human rights and 
democracy in Vietnam. We marched in protest of the recently reported 
human rights abuses and religious oppression by the Government of 
Vietnam.
  In response to high taxes and official corruption, uprisings have 
begun in the provinces of Vietnam. And what was the response of the 
Vietnamese Government to these protests? Well, reports indicate that 
the Vietnamese Government has dispatched security forces and arrested 
hundreds of these protesters, and the farmers have also been forcibly 
removed from their land by the special police.
  Last month I joined my constituents in sending a strong message to 
Hanoi, a message that these injustices will not be tolerated, a message 
that the Government must obey, respect and honor human and religious 
rights in Vietnam.
  I urge the administration to ensure that the protection of religious 
practice and freedom of expression remains key in any policy towards 
Vietnam.

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