[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 2 (Thursday, January 24, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H39-H40]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINATIONS

  (Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

[[Page H40]]

  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I am so glad this morning that our Chaplain 
spoke about religion as a human and civil right.
  When U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently accepted his Nobel 
Peace Prize, he urged all nations to focus more on human rights in a 
quest to end poverty, end conflicts and foster democracy.
  It is for those reasons that I am circulating a Dear Colleague letter 
requesting the Nobel Peace Prize Selection Committee nominate the Most 
Venerable Thich Quang Do and Father Nguyen Van Ly of Vietnam for the 
Nobel Peace Prize.
  The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do is the secretary-general of the 
banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. He has been under house 
arrest since June of 2001, after announcing his intention to escort the 
ailing 83-year-old Buddhist patriarch Thich Huyen Quang to Ho Chi Minh 
City for urgently needed medical care.
  Similarly, in May of last year, Father Ly was placed under house 
arrest and banned from running his church for providing testimony to 
the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which urged 
this Congress to delay ratification of the bilateral trade agreement 
until Vietnam eased its restrictions on religion.
  In recognition of their courage, sacrifice and belief, I hope all 
Members will join me in signing that letter.

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