[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1511-E1512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DISAPPROVING EXTENSION OF WAIVER AUTHORITY WITH RESPECT TO VIETNAM

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 1998

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 120, a 
resolution to disapprove the President's request for a waiver of 
Jackson-Vanik for Vietman. The purpose of this Presidential waiver is 
to allow U.S. companies to receive U.S. government support for trade 
and investment in Vietnam.
  I have the highest regard for Ambassador Pete Peterson and am 
confident that he will be a force for improving human rights in 
Vietnam. I have supported the normalization of relations with Vietnam 
and am blessed to have a strong Vietnamese-American community in my 
district. This community is not unanimous whether or not Jackson-Vanik 
should be waived. They are unanimous, however, about concerns regarding 
the continuing lack of freedom of emigration from Vietnam or about 
continuing human rights abuses there.
  If the Vietnamese government allowed freedom of emigration, the 
President would not have needed to request a waiver of the Jackson-
Vanik law in the first place. Some progress in freedom of emigration is 
reportedly being made, but serious problems remain.
  The Vietnamese government has made some progress with people in the 
U.S. refugee program, Resettlement Opportunities for Vietnamese 
Refugees (ROVR), clearing 12,000 ROVR applicants--about 3000 per month 
for four months--immediately before President Clinton granted the 
waiver in March. Unfortunately, as soon as the waiver was granted, the 
approvals slowed back to a trickle--about 300 per month. There are 
reportedly still 4000 people we haven't been given permission to 
interview, including some of the most compelling cases. And, while 
Hanoi recently eliminated an important obstacle to U.S. access to 
people in ROVR, deeming that ROVR applicants will no longer need ``exit 
permits'' from local security police in order to be interviewed by U.S. 
refugee officers, the U.S. is unfortunately still forbidden to 
interview anyone whose name is not

[[Page E1512]]

on a list supplied by the Vietnamese government.
  Problems remain in the Orderly Departure Program (ODP), too. ODP is a 
refugee program for re-education camp survivors, former U.S. government 
employees, and others who never left Vietnam. Thousands of people who 
qualify under this program have been unable to get exit permits--in 
some cases because the Vietnamese government does not like their 
political views.
  I am also concerned about continuing human rights abuses in Vietnam. 
While the Vietnamese government continues to insist that it has no 
political or religious prisoners, we continue to receive reports of 
imprisoned Catholic priests, Buddhist monks, pro-democracy activists, 
and others, some of whom are imprisoned for crimes such as ``using 
freedom and democracy to injure the national unity.''
  Mr. Speaker, I understand the desire of the government of Vietnam to 
enter more fully into the global marketplace, as I understand the 
desire of U.S. corporations to obtain U.S. government guarantees and 
assistance for doing business in Vietnam. I also understand the 
yearnings of people who seek to be free. I urge my colleagues to vote 
yes on this resolution to signal to the government of Vietnam that more 
must be done to promote freedom there