[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 168 (Wednesday, November 19, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H11520-H11524]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP OF UNIFIED
BUDDHIST CHURCH OF VIETNAM
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 427) expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives regarding the courageous leadership of the Unified
Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the urgent need for religious freedom
and related human rights in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, as
amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 427
Whereas Buddhism has a 2,000-year tradition in Vietnam and
the Unified Buddhist
[[Page H11521]]
Church of Vietnam (UBCV) is an heir to this tradition;
Whereas the Government of Vietnam in 1981 declared the
UBCV, one of the largest religious denominations in the
country, illegal, confiscated its temples, and persecuted its
clergy for refusing to join the state-sponsored Buddhist
organizations;
Whereas the Government of Vietnam has often imprisoned UBCV
clergy and subjected them to other forms of persecution; the
Patriarch of the UBCV, the 85-year-old Most Venerable Thich
Huyen Quang, has been detained and restrained for more than 2
decades in isolated areas of Vietnam;
Whereas the Vietnamese Government has held the Most
Venerable Thich Quang Do, the Executive President of the UBCV
and his deputy, the Venerable Thich Tue Sy, in various forms
of detention since 1977;
Whereas the Very Venerable Thich Thien Minh, Supreme
Counselor of the UBCV, was tortured to death in a reeducation
camp in 1978;
Whereas many other leading UBCV figures, including Thich
Thien Hanh, Thich Phuoc An, Thich Dong Tho, Thich Vien Dinh,
Thich Thai Hoa, Thich Nguyen Ly, Thich Thanh Huyen, Thich
Khong Tanh, Thich Phuoc Vien, Thich Hai Tang, Thich Dong Tho,
Thich Nguyen Vuong, Thich Chi Mau, Thich Chi Thang, and Thich
Thanh Quang have been detained, harassed, and under tight
surveillance;
Whereas several members of the UBCV have fled to Cambodia
to escape religious repression and harassment;
Whereas Pham Van Tuong, formerly known as Thich Tri Luc,
disappeared from Cambodia in July 2002 after being given
refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), and has since been discovered to be in
custody in Vietnam, where he is reportedly charged with the
vague crime of ``fleeing abroad or defecting overseas with
the intent to oppose the people's administration,'' which
carries a possible sentence of life imprisonment;
Whereas Vietnam has acceded to international covenants and
treaties that prohibit the forced repatriation of UNHCR-
recognized refugees;
Whereas Vietnam has acceded to international covenants and
treaties that protect the right to faith, belief, and
practice;
Whereas Vietnam's constitution protects the right of
religious belief;
Whereas in a show of religious tolerance, the Vietnamese
Government in April 2003 allowed the Most Venerable Thich
Huyen Quang, the Fourth Supreme Patriarch of the UBCV, to
receive urgent medical care in Hanoi;
Whereas at that time, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van
Khai met with Venerable Thich Huyen Quang and assured him
that his and Venerable Thich Quang Do's detention were
mistakes by local officials and that he hoped they would
extend Buddhist forgiveness toward past actions of the
government;
Whereas in June 2003, the Vietnamese Government ended the
detention order against Venerable Thich Quang Do, the
Executive President of the UBCV;
Whereas in September and October 2003, the UBCV held a
meeting in Nguyen Thieu Pagoda in Binh Dinh province to
discuss church affairs, choose a new leadership which had
been vacant for a decade, and verify Vietnamese Prime
Minister Phan Van Khai's promise of a new era of
understanding and respect;
Whereas Vietnamese authorities attempted to disrupt these
gatherings by restricting the travel of monks from other
provinces and then intimidating those attending;
Whereas on October 8, 2003, Vietnamese authorities
initiated a tense standoff following the meeting, where
police stopped a vehicle carrying the UBCV's new leadership
and subsequently detained the eleven passengers;
Whereas Venerables Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do
were taken to their respective pagodas where they have been
effectively isolated and detained; four senior monks, the
Venerable Thich Tue Sy, Thich Thanh Huyen, Thich Nguyen Ly,
and the UBCV Supreme Patriarch's personal assistant,
Venerable Thich Dong Tho, were immediately sentenced to 24
months of administrative detainment by written orders of the
Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, and three others, the
Venerables Thich Thien Hanh, Thich Thai Hoa, and Thich Nguyen
Vuong to 24 months administrative detainment by ``oral''
orders from various local authorities, in protest of which
the Venerable Thich Thien Hanh initiated a hunger strike on
October 19, 2003;
Whereas according to reports by the United States State
Department, the United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom, and the European Union, the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam systematically limits the right of
religious organizations to choose their own clergy;
Whereas according to these same reports, the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam uses house arrest and long prison
sentences to punish individuals for practicing their faith,
as evidenced also by the jail sentences handed down to Father
Nguyen Van Ly, his three relatives, Montagnard and Hmong
Protestants, Cao Dai, and Hoa Hao Buddhists;
Whereas during the 107th Congress the House of
Representatives passed H.R. 2833, the Vietnam Human Rights
Act, on September 6, 2001, which noted the persecutions faced
by various members of the UBCV over the past 25 years; and
Whereas because of systematic, egregious, and ongoing
abuses of religious freedom, the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom recommended that the
President of the United States designate Vietnam as a
``country of particular concern'' under the provisions of the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) congratulates the new leadership of the Unified
Buddhist Church of Vietnam;
(2) urges the Government of Vietnam to respect the right of
all independent religious organizations to meet, worship,
operate, and practice their faith in accordance with
Vietnam's own constitution and international covenants to
which Vietnam is a signatory;
(3) urges the Government of Vietnam to restore freedom to
all Vietnamese citizens imprisoned or under house arrest for
practicing their faith or for advocating freedom of religion,
especially the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang and the Very
Venerable Thich Quang Do;
(4) is committed to promoting religious freedom in Vietnam,
and, in furtherance of this goal, urges the implementation of
the recommendations of the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom; and
(5) urges the United States Embassy in Vietnam to closely
monitor cases of abuse of religious belief and practice,
routinely visit detained clergy members, especially those in
need of medical care, and report to the Congress on specific
measures taken to protect and promote religious freedom in
Vietnam.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Iowa (Mr. Leach) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach).
General Leave
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Iowa?
There was no objection.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H. Res. 427 regarding the United Buddhist Church
of Vietnam. This resolution congratulates the newly appointed
leadership of this Buddhist Church and notes the persecutions faced by
the church during the past 3 decades and urges the Government of the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam to comply with its own constitutional and
international pledges to protect rights of religious belief and
practice.
According to the State Department, the Vietnamese government
``continues to maintain broad legal and policy restrictions on
religious freedom and to ban and actively discourage participation in
what it regards as illegal religious groups, including the Unified
Buddhist Church of Vietnam.'' The most recent Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices notes that religious and organizational activities by
Buddhist monks associated with this church are illegal and that all of
this Buddhist church's activities outside of private temple worship
have been proscribed by the government.
The plight of the Unified Buddhist Church is perhaps most poignantly
symbolized by the enforced isolation endured by some of its senior
clerics over the past 2\1/2\ decades, notwithstanding their advanced
age and sometimes frail health. Inspired by their examples of
nonviolence and courage, we reaffirm our belief in the rights of all
people to worship and to organize their religious communities according
to the dictates of conscience, free from state coercion.
At the same time, it is important to note that H. Res. 427 is not
merely critical of past transgressions. It is also aspirational. In
addition to citing the Constitution of Vietnam, which formally protects
religious freedom of belief, it notes certain extremely modest but
welcome developments earlier this year.
This past spring the Vietnamese government allowed the Fourth Supreme
Patriarch of the Buddhist Church to travel to Hanoi to seek urgent
medical care and also ended the long-standing detention ordered against
the Venerable Thich Quang Do. During that period the Vietnamese Prime
Minister reportedly met with the Supreme Patriarch and made statements
that some
[[Page H11522]]
hoped would presage an era of increased governmental openness towards
the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
Unfortunately, those statements have not yet borne practical
dividends, and just last month there were indications of a renewed
crackdown in the Buddhist leadership, including the return of numerous
senior clerics to effective detention. At a time when Vietnam is
admittedly undergoing many transformations that are progressive, we
urge the government of that nation to trust its citizens with the basic
freedoms that they deserve.
I would like to thank the personnel of the United States Department
of State and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom who
worked with our committee staff and with the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez), the sponsor, to update and refine the
language of the original resolution. The text before us is a
thoughtful, accurate product that deserves the support of this body.
Mr. Speaker I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in strong support of this resolution.
{time} 1030
Mr. Speaker, I first would like to commend my good friend and
colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for
introducing this important and timely resolution. I would also like to
thank the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) for moving this
legislation to the floor so expeditiously.
Mr. Speaker, the resolution before the House tackles a critically
important human rights matter: the continued oppression of the United
Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the lack of religious freedom in that
country. For most of the last two millennia, Buddhism flourished in
Vietnam. But in 1981, the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam was
declared illegal, its temples were confiscated by the government, its
clergy was persecuted because they refused to join State-sponsored
Buddhist organizations.
Leading figures in the Buddhist Church have been jailed, detained in
isolated areas, harassed, and kept under constant surveillance. The
Vietnamese government has systematically prevented Buddhist monks from
meeting and worshipping as they choose.
The Vietnamese government's campaign of repression against key
religious figures and organizations has been strongly criticized by the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an
organization which we will be soon commending this morning. Our
President has designated Vietnam ``as a country of particular concern''
under the International Religious Freedom Act.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution urges the government of Vietnam to
respect the right of all religious organizations to meet, to worship,
to operate, and to practice their faith in accordance with Vietnam's
own Constitution and international covenants to which Vietnam is a
signatory. We cannot have truly normal relations with Vietnam until the
Vietnamese government finally lives up to its obligations to protect
religious freedom.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. In that case, Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield such
time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta
Sanchez), the author of this resolution.
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman
from Iowa (Mr. Leach) for bringing this to the floor, and I thank the
gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde).
Mr. Speaker, I represent the largest Vietnamese population outside of
Vietnam in the world, in Orange County, California, so I have been
following the relationship of the United States and Vietnam for the
last 7 years that I have been in the Congress. I rise today to speak on
behalf of House Resolution 427, a bipartisan resolution which
highlights the courageous leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church of
Vietnam, which is currently undergoing one of the harshest crackdowns
in history, and the urgent need for religious freedom, and for basic
human rights in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
This resolution, which I introduced with my colleagues, the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom
Davis), the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), and the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) is timely, important, and will do
a great deal to advance the cause of religious freedom in Vietnam.
Now, many of my colleagues will say, well, Loretta has opposed trade
relations with Vietnam, or there has always been a difficult
relationship with Vietnam, and the answer is yes, but that is in the
past. This is about the current situation, and the current situation is
about religious freedom, or the ability for the Vietnamese people to
express their religious beliefs in the way that they want.
Let us remember that the United States was based in part on those
people who came to this land to seek their way of respecting and
praising their Lord. And, in the same way, that is a basic human right
for all people of the world.
Despite the growing bilateral and economic relations that the United
States has with Vietnam, the Vietnamese government has continued to
blatantly disregard religious freedom in Vietnam. It is a basic right
guaranteed by the Vietnamese constitution and enshrined in the United
Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Vietnam has both
ratified and has pledged to uphold. According to the 2003 report of the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the
Vietnamese government does not, does not fully support religious
freedom. I would like to quote some of the statements from that report.
It says, ``The current approach of the U.S. Government to advance
religious freedom in Vietnam has failed to yield concrete results. Key
religious dissidents have been imprisoned. Others remain under house
arrest. In addition, the government has intensified its crackdown on
religious minorities in the western provinces and in the Central
Highlands.''
The report goes on to state that ``Therefore, the Commission
recommends that the United States Government intensify its leverage to
hold the government of Vietnam to its international obligation to
protect human rights, including that of religious freedom.''
This resolution does just that.
The latest incident, which occurred just this year, the one with the
Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the largest religious denomination
in that country, was because they held a meeting to elect new
leadership, discuss their future, and to verify that the Prime Minister
of Vietnam had promised a new era of understanding and respect. In
stark contrast to that promise of respect and understanding, the
Vietnamese authorities disrupted that meeting, intimidated the people
at that meeting, and ultimately arrested most of the leadership.
The Venerables Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do were taken into
custody and remain in detainment. Now, one of them is 75 years old. I
have met with him in Vietnam. He is not a menace to society. In fact,
he was nominated by over 60 Members of Congress in the year 2000 for
the Noble Peace Prize. He has about 2 decades worth of arrests from
this current government.
These actions are unconscionable but, unfortunately, they are nothing
new. The Vietnamese government has routinely used intimidation,
harassment, and imprisonment to punish individuals who choose to
practice their own faith.
I recently spoke with a high-ranking Vietnamese official regarding
the crackdown on the church, and about religious freedom in Vietnam in
general, and he said, of course Vietnam supports religious freedom, but
he failed to deny that, in fact, they have imprisoned the leadership of
the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
I was informed that if these leaders want to practice their faith,
they are more than welcome to do so as members of the State-authorized
Buddhist Church. Having the option of joining only one State-sponsored
Buddhist
[[Page H11523]]
Church is a far cry, in my opinion, of religious freedom. And enduring
decades of imprisonment for peacefully practicing one's faith is not
religious freedom. Vietnam has a long way to go.
So, in closing, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Doing so will not only send a strong message to the Vietnamese
government that its actions are not going unnoticed, but it will
reinforce the human rights standards that we expect of Vietnam as we
move forward in strengthening our bilateral relationship with them.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank the gentlewoman
from California for her wonderful leadership on this initiative and
also that of her colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis).
Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, let me just say it is a
pleasure to follow my friend and colleague from California, and I have
enjoyed working with her on these issues and the leadership she has
given to the human rights issues in Vietnam.
I rise in support of H. Res. 427, a resolution to that congratulates
the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam for its courageous leadership
and calls for religious freedom and related human rights in Vietnam.
Mr. Speaker, Vietnam's constitution protects the rights of religious
belief, and the Vietnamese government has acceded to a number of
international treaties to protect the right to faith and practice.
Buddhism has a 2,000 year history in Vietnam, and the Unified Buddhist
Church of Vietnam is an important part of this tradition. Yet, in 1981,
the Vietnamese government outlawed the UBCV, the Unified Buddhist
Church of Vietnam, and has since detained and harassed many of its
clergy members and subjected them to other forms of persecution.
Earlier this year, the Vietnamese Prime Minister met with the
Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, the Supreme Patriarch of the Unified
Church of Vietnam, and assured him that previous arrests were mistakes
and that the government would respect and honor religious freedom. But
despite these promises, the Vietnamese government arrested members this
past September after they held a meeting to discuss church matters and
elect new leadership.
The punishment by Vietnamese authorities of individuals who practice
their religious faith or exert other basic human rights are not
uncommon in Vietnam. In addition to the arrests of the Most Venerable
Thich Quang Do and other members of the UBCV, the Vietnamese government
has imprisoned father Nguyen Huu Le, Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Father Van Ly
and three of his relatives, and many other individuals for practicing
their faiths and for promoting human rights in Vietnam.
As the United States continues to establish diplomatic and economic
relationships with Vietnam, we have to remember that many of the most
basic issues remain unresolved, including the lack of religious freedom
and related human rights violations. House Resolution 427 sends a clear
signal that we will not tolerate these violations.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the new leadership of the Unified Buddhist
Church of Vietnam, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this
bipartisan resolution.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), a distinguished member of
the California delegation.
(Ms. LOFGREN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Ms. LOFGREN. I look forward to the day, Mr. Speaker, when we no
longer need to introduce resolutions condemning the Vietnamese
government for human rights violations.
Unfortunately, I see no sign of change in Vietnam. The Vietnamese
government continues to systematically violate the human rights of its
citizens through political, cultural, and religious oppression. In
fact, it seems that things have gotten worse in recent years, despite
our attempts to build Normal Trade Relations with Vietnam.
Just last month, the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam held two
peaceful assemblies to discuss church affairs and elect new leadership
following promises of a new era of ``respect and understanding for
religious freedom'' by the Vietnamese Prime Minister. In stark contrast
to this promise of ``respect and understanding,'' the Vietnamese
Security Police intercepted the church leadership. After a tense 10-
hour standoff, 11 monks were arrested and placed under administrative
detention. The Buddhist Church's Patriarch, Thich Huyen Quang, 86 years
old, and his deputy, Noble Peace Prize nominee Thich Quang do, 75 years
old, are currently being held in total isolation.
According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom,
this is pretty much the norm in Vietnam. They say ``key religious
dissidents have been imprisoned, and others remain in detention or
under house arrest.'' They have reports of 18 Buddhists in prison or
under house arrest, and 20 UBCV in detention or reeducation camps.
My colleagues and I have repeatedly sent letters to the Vietnamese
government asking them to release prisoners of conscience and to
refrain from various forms of political, religious, and cultural
oppression. The vast majority of these requests seem to fall on deaf
ears, like our recent letter regarding the arrest of the 86-year-old
Buddhist leader and his 75-year-old deputy. This is unacceptable.
So today I rise with my colleagues in very strong support of this
resolution. We cannot sit idly by as the Vietnamese government
continues to oppress its people while hiding behind the veil of free
trade. As long as the people of Vietnam are oppressed, our government
cannot relax, even if there are strategic military interests and a
strong relationship with Vietnam. Our interests must include human
rights and now is the time to act.
The whole world is watching and we will not cease until we see
improvements in Vietnam.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to our distinguished
colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support as a cosponsor of this
legislation. Of course, the focus here is to spotlight the Unified
Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the treatment that it has been receiving
at the hands of the government of North Vietnam, that Communist
government that now, for over 20 years, for 20 years have been trying
to suppress the Buddhist Church, and that church has simply been
fighting to practice their religion peacefully.
{time} 1045
The difficulties commenced in 1981 when the government declared the
Buddhist Church, and this is the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam,
they declared it illegal. They confiscated the temples of the Buddhist
Church. They began persecuting the clergy if that clergy did not join
up with Communist organizations, stated-sponsored Buddhist
organizations.
When I visited Vietnam, I saw firsthand the Communist Party's
harassment of those Vietnamese citizens who decided to peacefully set
forth dissenting political views, dissenting religious views. I met
with several of them who were under house arrest. In particular, the
Venerable Thich Quang Do and the Venerable Le Quang Liem. The reason
they were under house arrest was simply because they were protesting a
rewrite of the holy books, of the Buddhist holy books, holy works. The
Communist Party had attempted to slash 80 or 90 percent of those works,
and instead resubstitute and rewrite a culture that goes back thousands
and thousands of years. And, of course, the laity and the leadership of
the church took great umbrage at this and simply asked that they be
allowed to practice their religion.
Well, in June of this year when the Vietnamese government ended the
detention order against Thich Quang Do, we were all quite hopeful.
However, our hopes were quickly dashed when last month the Buddhist
Church's meetings were disrupted and the travel of monks was restricted
and, again, some were arrested.
Today we are here to say as the United States Congress that we are
not satisfied with the state of human rights in Vietnam and that the
United States has a strong interest in promoting respect for individual
rights
[[Page H11524]]
around the world. The U.S. must be a strong advocate of human rights,
particularly when basic freedoms are being wantonly abused as they are
in Vietnam.
We must continue to shine a light on Vietnam. I urge the passage of
this resolution. I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 427, which
recognizes the courageous leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church in
Vietnam and stresses the urgent need for the government of the Republic
of Vietnam to respect religious freedom and basic human rights. I thank
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for offering it
today.
Mr. Speaker, Vietnam's oppression of religious liberty, which is well
documented in the State Department Reports on Human Rights and
Religious Freedom, as well as by credible human rights organizations,
continues to deteriorate. This is a regime with clear non-ambiguous
policies designed to control and to repress religion. At its Seventh
plenum in January 2003, the Communist Party's Central Committee stepped
up its persecution of religious groups issuing a resolution which calls
for the establishment of cells of Communist party members within each
of Vietnam's six approved religions in order to foil ``hostile
forces.''
Persecution of Buddhists highlighted in this resolution has been
particularly harsh. Many leading clergy of the Unified Buddhist Church
of Vietnam have been imprisoned including the church's Patriarch, the
Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, who is now 85 years old and has been
detained for the past 21 years.
The government has continually attempted to control the selection of
new clergy for the Unified Buddhist Church, restricting the travel of
and intimidating monks attending selection meetings. We know that other
groups suffer severe religious persecution as well, including the
Christian Montagnards in the Central Highlands, Catholics and members
of indigenous Vietnamese religions.
One particular case, Mr. Speaker, that has been disturbing, one of
many, is that of Father Ly, an outspoken critic of the regime who is
currently serving a 10-year sentence for calling on the government for
the return of confiscated church properties and respect for religious
freedom. Amazingly, his nephews, Nguyen Vu Viet and Nguyen Truc Cuong,
and his niece, Nguyen Thi Hoa, recently received prison sentences after
a sham trial, after being found guilty of dubious charges of ``abusing
democracy.''
Next week, Mr. Speaker, the Vietnamese government has the chance to
set the record straight when their appeal will be heard. They should be
released. They have to be released along with Father Ly. And I think
this Congress, the House and the Senate, needs to be watching very
carefully if our relationship is to progress. We have to see
significant and sustained progress on these cases and, of course, those
with regards to the Unified Buddhist Church.
Mr. Speaker, this Congress has not been lax in trying to raise these
issues, as I know my good friend and colleague Mr. Leach knows because
he has worked so strongly in this area. ``I offered The Vietnam Human
Rights Act'' as an amendment to the State Department bill, which is now
pending before the House and Senate. Similar legislation has already
passed the House before and hopefully the session, the Vietnam Human
Rights Act will become law. This legislation sets up a number of
criteria that would seek to move the ball forward with regard to human
rights, and in particular, the area of religious freedom.
Again, it is a good resolution that has been offered today and it
deserves the honest support of this body.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his profound statement and for
his leadership on so many human rights issues as well as the gentleman
from California (Mr. Lantos).
Mr. Speaker, I would only conclude with the observation that there
are very important abstract principles at issue here but they are made
concrete by references to individuals which the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) has just done. Individuals matter because it is with
the individual that the picture at large can be revealed. So we care
about the individuals in this particular instance as well as the
principle of the freedom of religion.
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to this ill-conceived and ill-
timed bill. I would like to remind my colleagues that according to our
own Constitution, Congress is prohibited from making any law
``respecting the establishment of religion or the free exercise
thereof.'' Yet are we not doing that today--albeit in a country some
10,000 miles away? Why on earth are we commending one particular church
in Vietnam in the name of ``religious freedom''? At the risk of being
blunt, what business is the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam of the
United States Congress? The answer, of course, is that this legislation
is of a much more political than a religious nature: this bill tells
the Vietnamese government how it should enforce its own constitution,
commits the United States government to promoting religious freedom in
Vietnam, and tells the U.S. embassy staff in Vietnam to ``closely
monitor'' religious issues in Vietnam. It is an attempt to meddle in
the affairs of Vietnam and force them to adopt the kinds of laws we
think they should have. Mr. Speaker, as much as we value our own
religious liberty, we must realize that setting the example of the
benefits of a society that values such liberty is much more effective
than demanding that other countries pass the kinds of laws we want them
to pass. The unintended consequences of this otherwise well-meaning
legislation is that relations with the Vietnamese government will
likely suffer, making it less likely that Vietnam's leaders look
favorably upon our own history of religious liberty.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) that the House suspend
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 427, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________