[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 1, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H4246-H4253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CALLING ON VIETNAM TO IMMEDIATELY AND UNCONDITIONALLY RELEASE POLITICAL
PRISONERS AND PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 243) calling on the Government of the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam to immediately and unconditionally release Father
Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and other political
prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 243
Whereas, on February 18, 2007, Vietnamese police raided
the parish house of Father Nguyen Van Ly and confiscated
computers, telephones, more than 100 mobile phone cards, and
more than 200 kilograms of documents;
Whereas the police moved Father Ly to the remote location
of Ben Cui in central Vietnam, where he is under house
arrest;
Whereas Father Ly is a former prisoner of conscience,
having spent a total of over 13 years in prison since 1983
for his advocacy of religious freedom and democracy in
Vietnam;
Whereas Father Ly is an advisor of ``Block 8406'', a
democracy movement that started in April 2006 when hundreds
of people throughout Vietnam signed public petitions calling
for democracy and human rights;
Whereas Father Ly is also an advisor of a new political
party, the Vietnam Progression Party, and one of the primary
editors of ``Freedom of Speech'' magazine;
Whereas, on March 6, 2007, Vietnamese police arrested one
of Vietnam's few practicing human rights lawyers, Nguyen Van
Dai, who has defended individuals arrested for their human
rights and religious activities, is the co-founder of the
Committee for Human Rights in Vietnam, and is one of the
principal organizers of the Block 8406 democracy movement;
Whereas, on March 6, 2007, Vietnamese police also arrested
Le Thi Cong Nhan, a human rights lawyer, a member of ``Block
8406'', the principal spokesperson for the Progression Party,
and a founder of the Vietnamese Labor Movement;
Whereas Father Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, and Le Thi Cong Nhan
have been charged with disseminating propaganda against the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam under article 88 of the Penal
Code of Vietnam;
Whereas Father Ly was tried and convicted on March 30,
2007, and sentenced to 8 years in prison;
Whereas if convicted, Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong each
could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison;
Whereas Le Quoc Quan is a lawyer who traveled to the United
States in September 2006 to research civil society
development as a Reagan-Fascell Fellow at the National
Endowment for Democracy;
Whereas Le Quoc Quan returned to Vietnam in early March
2007 and was arrested by Hanoi police on March 8, 2007;
Whereas Le Quoc Quan has been charged under Article 79 of
the Penal Code of Vietnam which prohibits activities aimed at
overthrowing the Government and carries extremely severe
prison terms and even the death penalty;
Whereas in none of their activities have Father Ly, Nguyen
Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, or Le Quoc Quan advocated or
engaged in violence;
Whereas the arrest of and charges against Father Ly, Nguyen
Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le Quoc Quan violate Article
69 of the Vietnamese Constitution, which states that ``The
citizen shall enjoy freedom of opinion and speech, freedom of
the press, the right to be informed and the right to
assemble, form associations and hold demonstrations in
accordance with the provisions of the law'';
Whereas Father Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le
Quoc Quan have been arrested and charged in contravention of
the rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam is a state
party, specifically Article 18 (freedom of religion), Article
19 (freedom of expression) and Article 22 (freedom of
association);
Whereas Vietnam recently has imprisoned, detained, placed
under house arrest, or otherwise restricted numerous other
peaceful democratic and religious activists for reasons
related to their political or religious views, including
Nguyen Binh Thanh, Nguyen Phong, Nguyen Ngoc Quang, Nguyen Vu
Binh, Huynh Trung Dao, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Tran Thi Le Hang,
Doang Huy Chuong, Doan Van Dien, Le Ba Triet, Nguyen Tuan,
Bui Kim Thanh and Tran Quoc Hien;
Whereas the United States Congress agreed to Vietnam
becoming an official member of the World Trade Organization
(WTO) in 2006, amidst assurances that the Vietnamese
Government was steadily improving its human rights record and
would continue to do so;
Whereas the group of Asian countries at the United Nations
have nominated Vietnam as the sole regional candidate for a
nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for
the 2008-2009 biennium, and pursuant to the United Nations
Charter, Vietnam would be required to discharge its duties in
accordance with the purposes of the United Nations, including
the promotion and encouragement of respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms for all; and
Whereas the arbitrary imprisonment and the violation of the
human rights of citizens of Vietnam are sources of
continuing, grave concern to Congress, and the arrests of
Father Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le Quoc Quan
are part of a trend toward increasing oppression of human
rights advocates in Vietnam: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) the House of Representatives--
(A) condemns and deplores the arbitrary arrests of Father
Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le Quoc
Quan by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
and calls for their immediate and unconditional release and
the dropping of all criminal charges, and for the immediate
and unconditional release of all other political and
religious prisoners;
(B) condemns and deplores the violations of the freedoms of
speech, religion, movement, association, and the lack of due
process afforded to individuals in Vietnam;
(C) challenges the qualifications of Vietnam to be a member
of the United Nations Security Council, unless the Government
of Vietnam begins immediately to respect human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all within its own borders; and
(D) strongly urges the Government of Vietnam to consider
the implications of its actions for the broader relationship
between the United States and Vietnam; and
(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that
the United States should--
(A) make a top concern the immediate release, legal status,
and humanitarian needs of Father Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Van
Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le Quoc Quan;
(B) use funds from the newly created Human Rights Defenders
Fund of the Department of State to assist with the legal
defense and the needs of the families and dependents of
Father Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Le Quoc
Quan;
(C) continue to urge the Government of Vietnam to comply
with internationally recognized standards for basic freedoms
and human rights;
(D) make clear to the Government of Vietnam that it must
adhere to the rule of law and respect the freedom of religion
and expression in order to broaden its relations with the
United States;
(E) make clear to the Government of Vietnam that the
detention of Father Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, Le
Quoc Quan, and other political prisoners and prisoners of
conscience and other human rights violations are not in the
best interest of Vietnam because they create obstacles to
improved bilateral relations and cooperation with the United
States;
(F) examine current human rights violations by the
Vietnamese Government and consider re-imposing on Vietnam the
``country of particular concern'' (CPC) designation, which
was removed on November 13, 2006, pursuant to the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998; and
(G) in order to advance these freedoms and rights, and to
strengthen the long-term relationship between the United
States and Vietnam, initiate new foreign assistance programs
to advance the capacity and networking abilities of
Vietnamese civil society, including--
(i) rule of law programs to train Vietnamese human rights
lawyers, judges, academics, and students about international
human rights law;
(ii) public diplomacy initiatives to inform and teach
Vietnamese citizens about international human rights norms
and responsibilities; and
[[Page H4247]]
(iii) projects that support organizations and associations
that promote the freedom of religion, speech, assembly, and
association.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Sires) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. SIRES. 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 New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution
and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
I would first like to commend the distinguished ranking member of the
Africa and Global Health Subcommittee, my friend, Chris Smith of New
Jersey, for the introduction of this important resolution.
This year, Vietnam's program of economic liberalization and openness
took its most dramatic and important step when it joined the World
Trade Organization. Just over 30 years after the Communist takeover of
Saigon, Vietnam is now looking to promote foreign direct investment and
to become a full member of the global economic community.
The U.S.-Vietnam relationship has undergone a similar transformation.
U.S. Presidents now regularly visit our once sworn enemy. United
States' engagements with Vietnam can and should continue in order to
promote a more open and prosperous Vietnam. This will better the lives
of the Vietnamese people. Yet, as the U.S.-Vietnam relationship
matures, the Government of Vietnam must understand that U.S. principles
of democracy, freedom, and human rights will never soften by impressive
economic growth rates.
The unacceptable arrest of four innocent Vietnamese citizens by the
government for exercising their right of free expression is evidence of
how far Vietnam must come before it can be considered a genuine friend
of the United States.
The resolution we are considering today demonstrates our commitment
to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Vietnam. It does
this by calling for the immediate release of these political prisoners,
urging the Government of Vietnam to comply with international standards
of human rights, and considering the implication of its actions for the
broader relationship between the United States and Vietnam.
I strongly support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do
the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and ask unanimous
consent that he be allowed to manage the time on this side.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Indiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Vietnam has long been known as a major violator of human rights. The
U.S. House of Representatives went on record in the 109th Congress
condemning and deploring the violations of human rights in Vietnam and
strongly urging the Vietnamese Government to consider the implications
of its human rights abuses for the broader relationship between the
United States and Vietnam. I point out parenthetically that the House
almost a year ago to the day passed a resolution that I sponsored
similar to this one, H. Con. Res. 320, on April 6, 2006. There was some
initial improvement. Regrettably, there has been a snapback to its
original and even worsened situation when it comes to human rights
observance. That is why I have sponsored H. Res. 243--calling on
Vietnam to immediately and unconditionally release Fr. Ly, Mr. Dai,
Mrs. Whan and other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Department of State in its ``Country Reports on
Human Rights Practices'' notes that the human rights record in Vietnam
remains ``unsatisfactory,'' and that government officials continued
``to commit serious abuses.'' The U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom stated in its 2006 annual report that Vietnam
``continues to commit systematic and egregious violations of freedom of
religion and belief.''
However, in November 2006, pursuant to a boatload of assurances and
solemn promises that the human rights situation would improve
dramatically, Vietnam became the first country to be removed from the
list of Countries of Particular Concern, so designated pursuant to the
International Religious Freedom Act. Late last year, the U.S. Congress
agreed to Vietnam becoming an official member of the World Trade
Organization, and a group of Asian countries at the United Nations has
nominated Vietnam as the sole regional candidate for a nonpermanent
seat on the U.S. Security Council.
Despite this flurry of international recognition and tangible
economic benefit, despite the hopes of many, including and especially
the Vietnamese people, Vietnam has reverted to its repressive practices
and has arrested, imprisoned, and imposed lengthy prison sentences on
numerous individuals whose only crime has been to seek democratic
reform and respect for fundamental human rights in their country.
The crackdown in Vietnam, Mr. Speaker, on religious and human rights
activists is unconscionable and of course it is unnecessary. I have
been to Vietnam, Mr. Speaker, on many human rights trips, and chaired
several hearings on it as well. But on one of the most recent trips, I
actually met with Father Nguyen Van Ly who recently got 8 years in
prison; I also met with Nguyen Van Dai and about 60 other human rights
activists and religious leaders and people who are pressing for reform
in that country.
I was struck by how smart, talented, and kindhearted these people
were. I believe they are Vietnam's best and brightest and bravest. I
was amazed how they harbor no malice, no hate towards the government;
nor do they hate the government leaders. They only want a better future
for their country, and each and every one of the people I met with was
committed, and is committed, to peaceful nonviolent reform.
But just one month ago, on March 30, the government sentenced Father
Ly to 8 years imprisonment after subjecting him to a sham trial for
distributing ``antigovernment materials.''
When I met with Father Ly he was under house arrest, he sounded just
like the activists I had met and spoke to during the dark years of the
Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. During those years of domination by
communism, men like Vaclav Havel, Lech Walesa, and Anatoly
Shcharansky--people who, like the folks in Charter 77 in the Czech
Republic--only wanted freedom, democracy, and human rights. None of
them wanted violence, and yet we see that men like Father Ly now get 8
years imprisonment on top of the 13 years he has previously served in
the Gulag on trumped-up charges. Jailing dissidents is a window into
the malice and evil of the government of Vietnam.
As I mentioned, attorney, Nguyen Van Dai, a tenacious campaigner for
human rights who uses the law, international and domestic, to press his
cause, nonviolently--he's totally nonviolent, hates violence, abhors
it, stands up and tries to use the law to try to get remedies for his
clients. He, too, is now awaiting a trial which will be another
kangaroo court and a sham deal at that.
{time} 1615
Another human rights lawyer, Le Thi Cong Nhan, is a labor activist.
And according to reports, she too now will undergo another one of these
bogus trials.
We know that Vietnam, due to our robust trade and recently enacted
PNTR and their ascension into the WTO, we know that trade will increase
between the United States and Vietnam. So when this lawyer seeks to be
an activist for what the ILO and all of us in this room believe to be
fundamental freedoms like collective bargaining, the secret police
raids her office and drags her away. She is now awaiting another one of
these kangaroo trials.
[[Page H4248]]
Another victim of the crackdown is Le Quoc Quan. Here's a person who
just returned to Vietnam in early March after completing a fellowship
right here in Washington at the National Endowment for Democracy. He
was arrested on March 8, apparently for the crime of engaging in
research on civil society development at NED. And all of us who know
NED know what a great, completely transparent and human rights rule of
law oriented organization NED is, a group funded, by this Congress and
by the executive branch. It's a great organization. Quam goes back to
victim and is basically arrested soon after his arrival and now he is
awaiting a trial as well.
Mr. Speaker, a little over a year ago, a group called Block 8406
devised a statement of human rights principles. It reminds me of
Charter 77. Brave men and women banded together united by a statement
of principles, human rights concerns. We've seen such expressions in
Cuba, we've seen it all over the world in despotic countries. These
brave men and women sign on the dotted line, in a way not unlike our
own forefathers who signed the Declaration of Independence. In
Vietnam's case, they are pertaning for reforms. And openness. And I
have read it. It is very, very simple and eloquent and to the point.
It's all about human rights and democratization. And for being part of
8406, other activists are now being caught in this dragnet.
I would note parenthetically, Father Ly was also a signer of this
Block 8406 a manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam. The 8406
stands for April 8, 2006. That's when they founded this courageous
organization.
H. Res. 243, the resolution before us, Mr. Speaker, is intended to
send a critical and timely message to the Vietnamese government that
these serious violations of basic human rights are absolutely
unacceptable and bring profound dishonor on the government of Vietnam.
These human rights violations cannot be overlooked. They cannot be
trivialized. These human rights violations which are ongoing, and they
occur as we meet here today, cannot continue without equally serious
consequences. It also urges our Government to make human rights a top
priority in our bilateral relations with Vietnam. I do believe this
recent snap back to human rights abuse underscores the unwitting
naivete on the part of some who think if we just trade, if we just open
our pocket books, dictatorships will automatically matriculate into
democracies and freedom loving human rights respecting countries. It
hasn't happened anywhere. Not in the PRC, it has not happened in
Vietnam and it is not happening anywhere where that naive view is
embraced.
So we've got to send some clear messages. Human rights do matter. And
we will stand up for those who are mistreated. We will stand with the
oppressed and not with the oppressor.
Finally, I've heard it from informed and very reliable sources that
some of the recent jailees, the human rights activists that are now
behind bars suffering torture and mistreatment, that they are being
told that the United States really doesn't care about them; that we've
walked away. I have heard this on a couple of occasions from people who
have very good inside information. They are actually being taunted with
that kind of mantra.
I want to tell the presecuted--you are not forgotten. It's a
bipartisan expression today, you are no forgotten. We care deeply about
these human rights activists and we will not forget you. And we will do
all that is humanly possible, God willing, to effectuate your release
and hopefully, some day, see a free and democratic Vietnam.
At this point in the Record, I would like to include 8406--manifesto
on Freedom and Democracy for Human Rights.
Manifesto 2006 on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam by 118 Democracy
Activists Inside Vietnam--April 8, 2006
Dear Compatriots Inside and Outside of Vietnam: We, the
undersigned, representing hundreds of Vietnamese democracy
activists inside Vietnam and all those Vietnamese citizens
yearning for True Democracy for Vietnam, hereby unanimously
proclaim the following:
I. The Current Realities of Vietnam
1. In the August 1945 Revolution, the entire Vietnamese
nation made a choice for national independence and not
socialism. Vietnam's Declaration of Independence on September
2, 1945 did not contain a single word about socialism or
communism. The two mainsprings behind the success of that
Revolution were the Vietnamese people's aspiration for
national independence and also the desire to fill the power
vacuum that existed after the Japanese surrender on August
15, 1945, following their overthrow of the French colonial
administration on March 9, 1945.
It is thus clear that the Vietnamese communists had
abandoned the main objective of the August Revolution. As a
result, the Vietnamese peoples' aspiration for self-
determination was disregarded. There have been two occasions,
one in 1954 in North Vietnam and the other in 1975 in all of
Vietnam, when there were good opportunities for the
Vietnamese nation to set a new course towards a true
democracy. Sadly, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV),
failed to take advantage of those opportunities. This failure
is due to the well-known fact, as propounded by Lenin, that
once a dictatorship of the proletariat has been installed,
its very first function is to foster violence and repressive
terror!
2. On September 2, 1945 in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, President of
the Interim Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam,
solemnly declared to the [Vietnamese] nation and the world
that: ``All men are created equal, endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable Rights, among them the Right to
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,'' undying words
taken from the U.S. Declaration of Independence of 1776.
Interpreted broadly, this sentence can mean that all nations
are created equal and that they are entitled to Life, Freedom
and Happiness. The 1791 French Declaration on Human and Civil
Rights also proclaims: ``All people are born free and have
equal rights, and they must remain free and equal in all
rights.'' These are undeniable truths . . .'' (This quote is
taken directly from the September 2, 1945 Vietnamese
Declaration of Independence).
Nevertheless, the communist government of Vietnam began to
trample upon these sacred rights the moment they came to
power.
3. By February 1951, the Vietnam Workers Party (VWP, now
rechristened the CPV) proclaimed in a Manifesto at its Second
Party Congress that: ``The ideology of the VWP is Marxism-
Leninism.'' This was something that was even more clearly
expressed in the Party Bylaws, under the rubric of ``Goal and
Leading Principles'': ``The Vietnam Workers Party takes the
ideology of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin and the thought of Mao
Zedong in combination with the revolutionary realities of
Vietnam to be its ideological foundation and compass for all
Party activities.
Since then, especially in the North after 1954, and in the
entire country after April 30, 1975, the specter of Communism
has been imposed on the Vietnamese nation. For all practical
purposes, this specter has been used to deprive the
Vietnamese people of all their human rights. And even today,
its overwhelming influence is evident in the spiritual as
well as the material spheres of the Vietnamese nation.
II. Universal Laws Affecting All Societies
1. History has demonstrated that under every totalitarian
regime, whether communist or non-communist, all democratic
rights and freedoms are mercilessly repressed, the difference
being only in the degree of repression. Unfortunately, to
this day the Vietnamese nation is still one of the few that
is under the rule of a totalitarian communist regime. This
fact is unabashedly declared in Article 4 of the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam (SRV) Constitution, which says: ``The
CPV. . . follows Marxism-Leninism and the thought of Ho Chi
Minh, and it is the leading force of the state and society.''
It is on the basis of this article that democratic rights and
freedoms of the Vietnamese people have been extremely
curtailed.
2. The power structure in Vietnam rejects competition and
totally minimizes the possibility of its replacement by
something else. This record has helped accelerate the
degeneration of government, and its transformation from what
it started out to be. Because there are no rules and
principles regarding fair competition in the current
political culture of the country, election after election,
people have not been allowed to choose the most deserving
individuals and political parties to represent them. For that
reason the leadership, management and operational set-ups
become ever more corrupt, and can now be compared to a creaky
piece of equipment from the center down to the localities. As
a result, Vietnam is now a nation that has fallen way behind
other nations in the region and in the world. In the
prevailing environment, this shameful national performance
and other nation-wide problems are beyond correction. The
problem of all problems, the source of all evils, resides in
the fact that the CPV is now the one and only political force
leading Vietnam! The realities of history have shown that
any country, once it has fallen into the orbit of
Communism, ends up in ruin and misery. The Soviet Union
itself, the very cradle of world communism, has, together
with other former Eastern European countries valiantly
overcome its own weaknesses to rediscover the correct path
leading them forward.
3. We all understand that no one can remake history, but it
is possible to redirect its course. What is even more
important is that through history's lessons, one can find the
correct orientation for the nation's future. The path chosen
by the CPV for the Vietnamese nation was designed in haste,
and
[[Page H4249]]
thoughtlessly imposed. That is why today, it is necessary to
choose once again a new path for our nation. And a path
chosen by the entire nation must necessarily be better than
the one chosen by just one person or one group of persons.
Given that the CPV is, after all, only one component of the
nation, it should not claim to speak on behalf of the entire
nation! Considering that for almost half a century, from 1954
to 2006, the ruling party in Vietnam has usurped the voice of
the nation, it is by no means a legitimate government! Why?
Because there had simply not been a single free election
during all that time in Vietnam.
On the basis of the above realities and the stated
universal laws, being fully conscious of our responsibilities
as citizens, and faced with the nation's fate, we would like
to declare the following to our compatriots both inside and
outside of Vietnam:
III. Objective, Methods and Significance of Our Struggle
1. The highest objective in the struggle to fight for
freedom and democracy for the Vietnamese nation today is to
make sure that the present political regime in Vietnam is
changed in a fundamental way, not through incremental
``renovation'' steps or, even worse, through insignificant
touch-ups here and there. Concretely speaking, it must be a
change from the monolithic, one-party, non-competitive regime
that we have at the present time to a pluralistic and
multiparty system; one in which there is healthy competition,
in accordance with the legitimate requirements of the nation,
including at least a clear separation of powers among the
Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government.
This would be in tune with international criteria and the
experiences and lessons Mankind has learned from highly
respected and successful democracies.
The concrete objective is to re-establish the following
fundamental rights of the people:
The Freedom of Information and Opinion as defined in the
United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, ratified on December 16, 1966, and endorsed by
Vietnam on September 24, 1982, Article 19.2: ``Everyone
shall have the right to freedom of opinion; this right
shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of
frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the
form of art, or through any other media of his choice.''
This means that political parties, organizations and
individuals all have the freedom to express their opinions
through the printed media, radio, television and any other
mass media without having to wait for prior approval by
the government.
The Freedom to Assemble, form Associations, Political
Parties, Vote and Stand for Elected Offices as defined in the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article
25: ``Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity
(a) to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly
or through freely chosen representatives; (b) to vote and to
be elected in genuine periodic elections which shall be by
universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret
ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the
electors.'' This means that political parties of every
orientation are allowed to fairly compete in a genuine
pluralistic and multiparty democracy.
The Freedom to participate in Independent Labor Unions and
the Right to Legitimate Strikes in accordance with the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights ratified by the United Nations on December 16, 1966,
Articles 7 and 8: ``The States Parties to the present
Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of
just and favorable conditions of work . . ., the right of
everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his
choice, subject only to the rules of the organization
concerned, for the promotion and protection of his economic
and social interests . . . [including] the right to strike .
. .'' These Labor Unions must be independent of, and in
practice, not subservient to the state.
The Freedom of Religion as defined in the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18:
``Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion. This right shall include the freedom
to have or adopt a Religion or Belief of his choice, and the
freedom, either individually or in community with others and
in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in
worship, observance, practice and teaching.'' These religions
must also operate independently; they cannot be made the
instruments of the state.
2. The method of this struggle must be peaceful and non-
violent. The Vietnamese nation must itself be actively
engaged in it. Of course, we are extremely thankful for the
warm and ever more effective support of all our friends in
the world. Using modern information media and through ever
larger international exchanges, we will seek in every way to
help our compatriot to fully understand the issues involved.
Once this has been achieved, they surely will know how to act
appropriately and effectively.
3. This struggle is meant to make the Right Cause triumph
over the Bad Cause, and, Progress over Backwardness. There
are popular movements that are currently trying to use the
laws of life and the tendencies of our time in order to
defeat those evil forces that are trying to go against these
tendencies and laws. Whether the CPV marches hand-in-hand
with the Nation or not will depend on whether it is
objective, fair, enlightened and modest enough to accept the
principle of equality in a fair competition. The one-party
political regime must be once and for all buried in the
dustbin of history. From such a departing point, the
Vietnamese nation will be able to find its best citizens and
the most capable political organizations after each election
to lead it. The ``total triumph of the right cause''
principle will be established, and one's individual life will
become better, our society more humane, and our Compatriots
will live together on more friendly terms.
We hope that this Manifesto would foster the positive
contributions of our compatriots living outside of Vietnam
and the support of our international friends. We are
sincerely grateful and call on the United Nations, national
parliaments, governments, international organizations and our
friends all over the world to continue supporting
enthusiastically and effectively this fully legitimate
struggle. This will soon help bring our Fatherland, Vietnam,
to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with civilized, moral,
prosperous and free countries in today's community of
Mankind--Unanimously declared in Vietnam on 8 April 2006.
Dr. Nguyen Xuan An, Hue; Teacher Dang Van Anh, Hue; Prof.
Nguyen Kim Anh, Hue; Writer Trinh Canh, Vung Tau; Teacher Le
Can, Hue; Teacher Tran Thi Minh Cam, Hue; Teacher Nguyen Thi
Linh Chi, Can Tho; Teacher Nguyen Viet Cu, Quang Ngai; Writer
Nguyen Dac Cuong, Phan Thiet; Teacher Tran Doan, Quang Ngai;
Teacher Ho Anh Dung, Hue; Dr. Ha Xuan Duong, Hue; Attorney
Nguyen Van Dai, Hanoi; Dr. Ho Dong, Vinh Long; Businessman
Tran Van Ha, Da Nang; Dr. Le Thi Ngan Ha, Hue; (Mrs.) Vu Thuy
Ha, Hanoi; Teacher Tran Thach Hai, Haiphong; Teacher Dang
Hoai Anh, Hue; Dr. Le Hoai Anh, Nha Trang.
Prof. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Da Namg; Rev. F.X. Le Van Cao, Hue;
Rev. Giuse Hoang Can, Hue; Rev. Giuse Nguyen Van Chanh, Hue;
Prof. Hoang Minh Chinh, Hanoi; Dang Quoc Cuong, MA, Hue;
Businessman Ho Ngoc Diep, Da Nang; Ms. Le Thi Phu Dung,
Saigon; Prof. Truong Quang Dung, Hue; Ex-Col. Pham Que Duong,
Hanoi; Kt (Architect?) Tran Van Don, Phan Thiet; Rev. Phero
Nguyen Huu Giai, Hue; Teacher Le Thi Bich Ha, Can Tho;
Teacher Le Nguyen Xuan Ha, Hue; Eng. Do Nam Hai, Saigon; Kt
(Architect?) Tran Viet Hai, Vung Tau; Eng. Doan Thi Dieu
Hanh, Vung Tau; Teacher Phan Thi Minh Hanh, Hue; Writer
Tran Hao, Vung Tau; Teacher Le Le Hang, Hue.
Nurse Che Minh Hoang, Nha Trang; Teacher Le Thu Minh Hung,
Saigon; Rev. Gk Nguyen Van Hung, Hue; Teacher Le Thi Thanh
Huyenh, Hue; Mai Thu Huong, MA, Haiphong; Candidate Nguyen
Ngoc Ke, Hue; Nguyen Quoc Khanh, MA, Hue; Prof. Tran Khue,
Saigon; Writer Bui Lang, Phan Thiet; Mr. Le Quang Liem, Head,
Traditional Hoa Hao Buddhist'' Church, Saigon; Rev. G.B.
Nguyen Cao Loc, Hue; Teacher Ma Van Luu, Haiphong; Rev. Tadeo
Nguyen Van Ly, Hue; Teacher Cao Thi Xuan Mai, Hue; Writer Ha
Van Mau, Can Tho; Writer Le Thi Thu Minh, Can Tho; Teacher
Nguyen Anh Minh, Saigon; (Mrs.) Bui Kim Ngan, Hanoi; Rev.
G.B. Le Van Nghiem, Hue; Rev. Dominic Phan Phuoc, Hue.
Rev. Giuse Cai Hong Phuong, Hue; Eng. Ta Minh Quan, Can
Tho; Rev. Giuse Tran Van Quy, Hue; Dr. Tran Thi Sen, Nha
Trang; Eng. Hoang Son, Haiphong; Prof. Nguyen Anh Tai, Da
Nang; Dr. Ta Minh Tam, Can Tho; Pastor Pham Ngoc Thach,
Saigon; Teacher Van Ba Thanh, Hue; Tran Manh Thu, MA,
Haiphong; Writer Hoang Tien, Hanoi; Rev. Tephano Chan Tin,
Saigon; Writer Ton Nu Minh Trang, Phan Thiet; Dr. Nguyen Anh
Tu, Da Nang; Teacher Le Tri Tue, Haiphong; Businesswoman
Nguyen Thi Hanh, DaNang; Prof. Dang Minh Hao, Hue; Writer
Tran Manh Hao, Saigon; Rev. Giuse Nguyen Duc Hieu, Bac
Ninh; Teacher Van Dinh Hoang, Hue.
Prof. Nguyen Minh Hung, Hue; Teacher Phan Ngoc Huy, Hue;
Teacher Do Thi Minh Huong, Hue; Nurse Tran Thu Huong, Da
Nang; Prof. Nguyen Chinh Ket, Saigon; Teacher Nguyen Dang
Khoa, Hue; Ex-Major Vu Kinh, Hanoi; Teacher Ton That Hoang
Lan, Saigon; Dr. Vu Thi Hoa Linh, Saigon; Rev. Phero Phan Van
Loi, Hue; Teacher Nguyen Van Ly, Haiphong; Teacher Cai Thi
Mai, Haiphong; Teacher Nguyen Van Mai, Saigon; Teacher Phan
Van Mau, Hue; Teacher Ma Van Minh, Hue; Dr. Huyen Ton Nu
Phuong Nhien, Da Nang; Dang Hoai Ngan, MA, Hue; Teacher Le
Hong Phuc, Haiphong; Eng. Vo Lam Phuoc, Saigon; Pastor Nguyen
Hong Quang, Saigon.
Rev. Augustino Ho Van Quy, Hue; Dr. Vo Van Quyen, Vinh
Long; Hoa Hao Lay preacher Le Van Soc, Vinh Long; Rev. Phao
Lo Ngo Thanh Son, Hue; Eng. Do Hong Tam, Haiphong; Prof.
Nguyen Thanh Tam, Hue; Teacher Nguyen binh Thanh, Hue; Hoa
Hao Lay preacher Nguyen Van Tho, Dong Thap; Prof. Dr. Tran
Hong Thu, Saigon; Ex-Officer Tran Dung Tien, Hanoi; Teacher
Nguyen Khac Toan, Hanoi; Teacher Che Thi Hong Trinh, Hue; Dr.
Doan Minh Tuan, Saigon; Nurse Tran Thi Hoai Van, Nha,Trang;
Teacher Ngo Thi Tuong Vi, Quang Ngai; Ho Ngoc Vinh, MA, Da
Nang; Teacher Nguyen Le Xuan Vinh, Can Tho; Eng. Lam Dinh
Vinh, Saigon.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) who
[[Page H4250]]
has been a leader on global human rights for 27 years, and that
especially relates to Vietnam.
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Smith, and for Mr. Smith's
faithfulness to be over here.
This institution is frankly changing. It is changing before our eyes.
This institution, on both sides of the aisle, almost doesn't seem to
care anymore on these issues of fundamental human rights. This
institution needs a little bit of Ronald Reagan.
Many of you voted to give this government PNTR. Read the letter. The
conditions have changed dramatically. They're worse today than when you
gave them PNTR. And yet this place is almost empty. Nobody seems to
care anymore.
Father Ly is in jail. The American Ambassador ought to be fired. This
administration has done a horrible job.
Let me just read some of the things that have gone on since we gave
them PNTR and the President went over there. February 18, 2007, the
second day of Lunar, Father Ly was banished to a remote secluded area.
Does the Congress care? Does the administration care?
March 5, 2007, security forces in Saigon told Mrs. Bui Ngoc Yen that
they had an order to arrest her husband.
March 8, 2007, Reverend Nguyen Cong Chinch were brutally assaulted by
the security forces.
March 8, 2007, two prominent human rights activists and lawyers, Mr.
Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan were arrested in Hanoi, told
they would be detained for 4 months.
March 9, 2007 Mr. Tran Van Hoa, a member of the People's Democracy
Committee, summoned by the security forces and threatened with
``immeasurable consequences,'' that's in quotes.
March 10, 2007, Do Nam Hai, an engineer writing under the pen name
Phuong Nam, one of the leading members of the Alliance for Democracy
told by security forces he could be indicted any time.
March 10, the same day, state security forces raided the home of Ms.
Tran Khai Thanh, a writer.
March 12, 2007, do you get a pattern here? Can anyone see a pattern
sort of developing here?
The Congress gave them MFN. Probably a majority on both sides gave
them MFN. But do you see a pattern here?
March 10, state security forces.
March 12, lawyer Le Quoc Quan, a consultant on local government for
the World Bank was arrested in his hometown.
April 5, 2007 the Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi rudely prevented
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, from your side of the aisle, from
meeting with several dissidents' wives at a gathering organized at the
Ambassador's house.
Now this Ambassador, frankly, and Mr. Lantos, and we have a bill
that's coming up, this Ambassador has failed to turn the American
Embassy into an island of freedom. During the days of Ronald Reagan,
one of the greatest presidents we have ever had, not only in modern
times, but in all times, turned the American Embassy in Moscow into an
island of freedom that dissidents felt comfortable coming, and they
were invited.
This Ambassador is just the opposite. He's silent. Dr. Martin Luther
King said silence is the real danger. You expect the silence of your
enemies, but you don't expect the silence of our friends.
Furthermore, the Hanoi government still has a large number of
dissidents that are in jail.
Lastly, and I'm going to read a letter that I'm going to put in the
Record that we sent to Secretary Rice the other day. The Vietnamese
American community, a young but energetic group comprised of more than
1 million citizens, should be included in future dialogues with U.S.
government officials. They know the history, the culture and the values
of Vietnam. They also scrutinize the history and the tactics of
communism and the Communist government's habits at the negotiating
table.
I sincerely believe that the history of Vietnam must inform our
approach to this and all other aspects of foreign policy. And the
Vietnamese American community is a tremendous asset in this regard.
Quite frankly, this administration, when Ambassador Marine leaves,
ought to put a Vietnamese American in who understands these issues. So
I'm going to submit this in the Record.
But these are important issues. This Congress just can't give these
people human rights. And frankly, there is a whole shift taking place.
I saw the other day, and if I'm wrong, I'll correct it for the record,
that Steven Spielberg is now representing the Chinese government for
the Olympics. One of Spielberg's greatest movies was the movie that he
did with regard to what took place by Nazi Germany, Schindler's List.
Well, now there's a Schindler's list operation going on in China.
There are 42 Catholic bishops that are in jail with China, with
priests. And for those who might think it might be amusing, China is
the one that's trying to do nothing with regard to the genocide in
Darfur. 400,000 people have died. The head of China goes to Khartoum 2
months ago with a bold announcement. The announcement is they are going
to build a new palace for the Sudanese that are bringing about
genocide. Genocide in Darfur.
There are 46,000 house church leaders, leaders, committed leaders,
house church leaders that are in jail in China today. In Tibet, it's
against the law to have a picture of the Dalai Lama, and the Chinese
public security police sent three public security police to my district
spying on Rebiya Kadeer. If you read the Washington Post editorial last
week, spying on Rebiya Kadeer in Fairfax County. Her three kids have
been arrested. She's a Muslim. Her three kids have been arrested. So I
just see, and I want to thank Mr. Smith for doing this, but frankly,
for the Congress just to grant MFN to this fundamentally evil
government, and for us to just sort of move on and just kind of not
care anymore, it just is really troubling. When we fail to speak out
for the least, we fundamentally fail to speak out for everyone. And so
let me just say, I didn't know this was coming up, and I just caught it
and came over here. I want to thank Mr. Smith for his faithfulness in
being involved. And frankly, any Member that voted to give these guys
PNTR, on both sides of the aisle, man, you've got a great
responsibility now to really do something on these people. These are
dissidents that are in jail. They are being suffered.
And frankly, I end by saying we ought to do more the way that Ronald
Reagan did in the 1980s. Speak out on human rights, religious freedom
and those values. And with that, you ought to call a role call vote on
this because, frankly, this government is so dense that if they see a
voice vote they won't even think it it's important. There ought to be a
roll call vote so we can send a message on behalf of Father Ly, a
Catholic bishop, a Catholic priest who's done nothing, and all these
other people. And frankly, this ambassador ought to be shown the door.
And we ought to put somebody in who represents the values of this
country. Quite frankly, it ought to be a Vietnamese American who can go
over there and advocate on behalf of those who are being persecuted.
Dear Secretary Rice: I am writing to express my deep
concern regarding the worsening human rights situation in
Vietnam in recent months. After joining the World Trade
Organization in January 2007, the politburo of the Vietnamese
Communist Party (VCP) has carried out a large-scale brutal
campaign of arrest against the nascent movement for democracy
in Vietnam. Ignoring all international criticism and
strenuous protests of the Vietnamese people, inside Vietnam
and abroad, the communist regime in Hanoi has shamefully
pushed ahead with its crackdown. The following events were
particularly disconcerting to me:
On February 18, 2007, the second day of the Lunar New Year,
which is the most sacred time in Vietnamese culture, the
communist security forces raided Father Nguyen Van Ly's
office within the Communal Residence of the Hue Archdiocese.
Father Ly was later banished to a remote, secluded area in
Hue.
On March 5, 2007, security forces in Saigon told Mrs. Bui
Ngoc Yen that they had an order to arrest her husband,
Professor Nguyen Chinh Kiet, who is a leading member of the
Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam. Professor
Kiet was in Europe at the time campaigning for democracy and
human rights in Vietnam.
On March 8, 2007, Reverend Nguyen Cong Chinch and his wife
were brutally assaulted by security forces of Gia Lai
Province in the Central Highlands, who then arrested Reverend
Chinch on undisclosed charges.
Also on March 8, 2007, two prominent human rights activists
and lawyers, Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan,
[[Page H4251]]
were arrested in Hanoi and were told that they would be
detained for four months as part of an undisclosed
investigation.
On March 9, 2007, Mr. Tran Van Hoa, a member of the
People's Democracy Party in Quang Ninh Province, and Mr. Pham
Van Troi, a member of the Committee for Human Rights in
Ha Tay, were summoned by security forces and threatened
with ``immeasurable consequences'' if they do not stop
their advocacy for human rights in Vietnam.
On March 10, 2007, Do Nam Hai, an engineer writing under
the pen name Phuong Nam and one of the leading members of the
Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam, was told
by security forces that he could be indicted at any time for
activity against the State.
Also on March 10, 2007, state security forces also raided
the home of Ms. Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, a writer, on the
grounds that she advocated for ``people with grievances''
against the government. They took away two computers, two
cell phones, and hundreds of appeals that she had prepared
for victims of the government's abuses.
March 12, 2007, lawyer Le Quoc Quan, a consultant on local
governance for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP,
and Swedish International Development Agency, was arrested in
his hometown, Nghe An, less than a week after he returned
from a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy in
Washington, D.C. His whereabouts are unknown at this time.
On April 5, 2007, the Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi
rudely prevented Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) from
meeting with several dissidents' wives at a gathering
organized at the U.S. Ambassador's home. The police
reportedly used very hostile and undignified manners to
intervene in the meeting.
Furthermore, the Hanoi communist regime is still
imprisoning many political dissidents and labor advocates
such as Nguyen Vu Binh, Huynh Nguyen Dao, Truong Quoc Huy,
Nguyen Hoang Long, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Doan Huy Chuong, the
religious leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam,
Cao Dai, Hoa Hoa, and more than 350 lay people of the
Protestant churches in the Central Highland.
The Vietnamese-Americans in my district, as well as all
across the country, are very angered and distressed by what
they perceive as a new and aggressive plan of the Hanoi
government to reverse the progress of human rights in
Vietnam. They believe that Ambassador Marine and his staff
are not doing enough to stop these blatant violations of
human rights.
It seems to me that the Vietnamese government is conducting
this crackdown on advocates of human rights and religious
freedom because it believes that the U.S. has no further
leverage in the region. Now that Vietnam has been admitted to
the WTO, and met with the Holy See, they believe they can
respond in this brutal fashion to supporters of democracy and
freedom and we will not respond.
I hope that you will make clear to the Vietnamese
authorities that we will not stand by while this violence and
intimidation continues. I believe the State Department should
consider putting Vietnam back on the list of Countries of
Particular Concern, and perhaps also consider canceling the
planned visit of the Vietnamese president and prime minister
later this year if the human rights situation in Vietnam has
not improved.
I appreciate the recent comments by Sean McCormack at Voice
of America expressing deep concern about the March 30 trial
and sentencing of Father Ly. I ask that you continue pressing
these issues with the Vietnamese government, including the
need to respect the basic human rights of all Vietnamese
citizens, especially the freedom of information, freedom of
expression, and freedom of religion. The Vietnamese people
should be able to choose their own leaders through free and
fair elections and to use the Internet freely without any
censures or restrictions.
I also ask that you encourage the Vietnamese authorities to
release all political prisoners and religious leaders who are
currently imprisoned because of their peaceful expression of
their ideas or to fight for their religious beliefs. Among
these prisoners are Father Nguyen Van Ly, Pastors Nguyen Cong
Chinh and Hong Trung, lawyers Nguyen Van Dai, Le thi Cong
Nhan, Le Quoc Quan, Messiers Truong Quoc Huy, and Nguyen
Hoang Lon.
Lastly, I believe the Vietnamese-American community, a
young but energetic group comprised of more than one million
citizens, should be included in future dialogues with U.S.
government officials. They know the history, culture and
values of Vietnam. They also have scrutinized the history and
tactics of communism and the communist government's habits at
the negotiating table. I sincerely believe that the history
of Vietnam must inform our approach to this and all other
aspects of foreign policy, and the Vietnamese-American
community is a tremendous asset in this regard. I
respectfully request that you invite a small representation
of the Vietnamese-American community to join the U.S.
delegation in next month's human rights dialogue.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Frank R. Wolf,
Member of Congress.
____
[From washingtonpost.com, Apr. 26, 2007]
Inherited Persecution: China Imprisons the Son of a Human Rights
Activist
Last week China sentenced Ablikim Abdureyim to 9 years in
prison. His crime? Having a human rights activist for a
mother.
His mother, Rebiya Kadeer, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, had
been warned. When she was released from her imprisonment in
2005 to the United States, she was told to keep quiet about
China's treatment of Uighurs, a Turkic-Ianguage Muslim
minority. Or else. Instead, for the past 2 years this former
entrepreneur has been shouting from the rooftops about
China's oppression of her people. She has talked to Congress,
the European Parliament and anyone else who will listen about
the forced abortions, the harassment and killings, the
thousands of Uighurs imprisoned for supposed treason or
``terrorism.'' She herself was imprisoned for 6 years for
mailing publicly available newspaper articles to her husband
in America, an act China deemed ``endangering of state
secrets.'' Right now the Chinese government can't get its
hands on her, so it is going after her children in China
instead.
Ms. Kadeer's sons Alim and Kahar Abdureyim were convicted
last fall of ``tax evasion,'' which she says they confessed
to after being tortured. Ablikim Abdureyim, the son sentenced
last week, was officially convicted in January of
``instigating and engaging in secessionist activities.''
According to the state-run news agency Xinhua, these
``secessionist activities'' chiefly consisted of asking
Yahoo's ``Uighur-language webmaster'' to post articles on its
site--a peculiar allegation considering that Yahoo has
neither a Uighur-language webmaster nor a Uighur-language
site.
The Chinese Embassy claims that Ablikim Abdureyim's ``legal
rights were protected during the trial'' and that the trial
was open to the public. But his family says that he was
denied a lawyer (against Chinese law) as well as any contact
with his family since his arrest last August. His family was
not even notified about his trial; relatives officially
learned of it only when Xinhua ran an article about his
conviction nearly 3 months after the fact. If, despite the
evidence, China still wants to claim that Mr. Abdureyim's
trial was ``open'' and fair, fine: Let it prove it by giving
him an open and fair appeal.
____
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I just yield myself 2 final
minutes to close.
First of all, let me thank Mr. Wolf, Chairman Wolf for his very
eloquent and passionate statement. And I think by injecting China into
this debate as well, there is a modus operandi by both of those
countries to talk a good game about human rights while doing absolutely
nothing, as a matter of fact, by doing just the opposite. It is
doublespeak. It is Orwellian, and unfortunately, it is what is
happening on the ground today.
Let me also say that when I visited dissidents, several of whom were
under house arrest in Ho Chi Min City, Hue and Hanoi, I was struck by
the heart breaking vulnerability of those individuals and their
families, because the secret police don't just go after the individual.
They target their families, their kids, their brothers their sisters-
in-law, their nephews and nieces. It is widespread. The bullies inflict
maximum, they being the communist regime, maximum pain on the
individual and his or her family.
I'll give you an example of just how it works. One of the individuals
who downloaded ``What is Democracy'' from the Internet, which was on
the U.S. embassy Web site, translated and then resent it out, got 5
years in prison. He was recently let out. But his wife Vu, who I met in
a Hanoi restaurant with at least three bully boys sitting about 5-10
feet away taking her picture, from the secret police, told me again and
again how fearful she was that she would be targeted--and hit. She
rides a motor bike; she feared that they would run her down. Modus
operandi, again, of the secret police.
{time} 1630
Sure enough, just a few weeks ago, she was hit on the road by the
police. Would you say that was an accident? If you think that is an
accident, I will sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.
Mr. Speaker, human rights abuse is getting worse in Vietnam. It is
widespread. It is pervasive. And it has got to be stopped. We need to
speak out with one voice. The administration needs to speak out with
one voice.
This resolution has a number of action clauses in it. I hope it is
taken seriously both in Hanoi as well as down at Foggy Bottom.
We need to help those suffering individuals. We are their last best
hope. Let's work for them because they deserve our--and Vietnam's--
respect and protection.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart).
[[Page H4252]]
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good
friend from New Jersey for the time.
I rise in support of Mr. Smith's resolution.
I was listening to another dear friend whom I greatly admire, Mr.
Wolf, and I want to thank once again Mr. Smith of New Jersey and Mr.
Wolf of Virginia for consistently being the voices for the oppressed
throughout the world.
Martin Luther King said, ``An injustice anywhere is an affront to
justice everywhere.'' And that is what this resolution is about. The
men and women who are languishing in the prisons in Vietnam, those
being tortured, the people being tortured because of their religious
beliefs, because of their views on issues, because of their political
aspirations for democracy, they are being tortured systematically; and
that regime needs to be condemned not only by history but by the
Congress of the United States. And that is why I support so strongly
this resolution by Mr. Smith.
And it is appropriate, as Mr. Wolf did, to bring out the torture also
being committed by the regime in China, mainland China. That is also a
fascist communist regime. These regimes continue to be communist, but
by opening the economy, they manage to get massive investments from Big
Business throughout the world.
And I heard Mr. Wolf talk about how now Mr. Spielberg apparently is
lobbying for the Chinese communist regime. It doesn't surprise me,
after having met for hours with Fidel Castro and having said that that
was one of the greatest experiences of his life, comparable to the
birth of his child. So it doesn't surprise me.
It doesn't surprise me about Big Business going into Vietnam and
China and getting profits from the exploitation of the workers by the
communist regimes.
So I want to simply thank the gentleman for the time, and I am in
strong support of this resolution. It is consistent with the best
traditions of the Congress of the United States.
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with our
colleagues a letter I recently sent to Secretary Rice
regarding the recent crackdown on advocates of human rights
and religious freedom in Vietnam. Even now, Vietnamese
authorities are continuing to harrass these activists,
including by blocking our ambassador's meetings with the
wives of detained dissidents. We must speak out against this
repression.
Dear Secretary Rice: I am writing to express my deep
concern regarding the worsening human rights situation in
Vietnam in recent months. After joining the World Trade
Organization in January 2007, the politburo of the Vietnamese
Communist Party (VCP) has carried out a large-scale brutal
campaign of arrest against the nascent movement for democracy
in Vietnam. Ignoring all international criticism and
strenuous protests of the Vietnamese people, inside Vietnam
and abroad, the communist regime in Hanoi has shamefully
pushed ahead with its crackdown. The following events were
particularly disconcerting to me.
On February 18, 2007, the second day of the Lunar New Year,
which is the most sacred time in Vietnamese culture, the
communist security forces raided Father Nguyen Van Ly's
office within the Communal Residence of the Hue Archdiocese.
Father Ly was later banished to a remote, secluded area in
Hue.
On March 5, 2007, security forces in Saigon told Mrs. Bui
Ngoc Yen that they had an order to arrest her husband,
Professor Nguyen Chinh Kiet, who is a leading member of the
Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam. Professor
Kiet was in Europe at the time campaigning for democracy and
human rights in Vietnam.
On March 8, 2007, Reverend Nguyen Cong Chinch and his wife
were brutally assaulted by security forces of Gia Lai
Province in the Central Highlands, who then arrested Reverend
Chinch on undisclosed charges.
Also on March 8, 2007, two prominent human rights activists
and lawyers, Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan,
were arrested in Hanoi and were told that they would be
detained for four months as part of an undisclosed
investigation.
On March 9, 2007, Mr. Tran Van Hoa, a member of the
People's Democracy Party in Quang Ninh Province, and Mr. Pham
Van Troi, a member of the Committee for Human Rights in
Ha Tay, were summoned by security forces and threatened
with ``immeasurable consequences'' if they do not stop
their advocacy for human rights in Vietnam.
On March 10, 2007, Do Nam Hai, an engineer writing under
the pen name Phuong Nam and one of the leading members of the
Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam, was told
by security forces that he could be indicted at any time for
activity against the State.
Also on March 10, 2007, state security forces also raided
the home of Ms. Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, a writer, on the
grounds that she advocated for ``people with grievances''
against the government. They took away two computers, two
cell phones, and hundreds of appeals that she had prepared
for victims of the government's abuses.
March 12, 2007, lawyer Le Quoc Quan, a consultant on local
governance for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP,
and Swedish International Development Agency, was arrested in
his hometown, Nghe An, less than a week after he returned
from a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy in
Washington, D.C. His whereabouts are unknown at this time.
On April 5, 2007, the Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi
rudely prevented Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) from
meeting with several dissidents' wives at a gathering
organized at the U.S. Ambassador's home. The police
reportedly used very hostile and undignified manners to
intervene in the meeting.
Furthermore, the Hanoi communist regime is still
imprisoning many political dissidents and labor advocates
such as Nguyen Vu Binh, Huynh Nguyen Dao, Truong Quoc Huy,
Nguyen Hoang Long, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Doan Huy Chuong, the
religious leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam,
Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and more than 350 lay people of the
Protestant churches in the Central Highland.
The Vietnamese-Americans in my district, as well as all
across the country, are very angered and distressed by what
they perceive as a new and aggressive plan of the Hanoi
government to reverse the progress of human rights in
Vietnam. They believe that Ambassador Marine and his staff
are not doing enough to stop these blatant violations of
human rights.
It seems to me that the Vietnamese government is conducting
this crackdown on advocates of human rights and religious
freedom because it believes that the U.S. has no further
leverage in the region. Now that Vietnam has been admitted to
the WTO, and met with the Holy See, they believe they can
respond in this brutal fashion to supporters of democracy and
freedom and we will not respond.
I hope that you will make clear to the Vietnamese
authorities that we will not stand by while this violence and
intimidation continues. I believe the State Department should
consider putting Vietnam back on the list of Countries of
Particular Concern, and perhaps also consider canceling the
planned visit of the Vietnamese president and prime minister
later this year if the human rights situation in Vietnam has
not improved.
I appreciate the recent comments by Sean McCormack at Voice
of America expressing deep concern about the March 30 trial
and sentencing of Father Ly. I ask that you continue pressing
these issues with the Vietnamese government, including the
need to respect the basic human rights of all Vietnamese
citizens, especially the freedom of information, freedom of
expression, and freedom of religion. The Vietnamese people
should be able to choose their own leaders through free and
fair elections and to use the Internet freely without any
censures or restrictions.
I also ask that you encourage the Vietnamese authorities to
release all political prisoners and religious leaders who are
currently imprisoned because of their peaceful expression of
their ideas or to fight for their religious beliefs. Among
these prisoners are Father Nguyen Van Ly, Pastors Nguyen Cong
Chinh and Hong Trung, lawyers Nguyen Van Dai, Le thi Cong
Nhan, Le Quoc Quan, Messiers Truong Quoc Huy, and Nguyen
Hoang Lon.
Lastly, I believe the Vietnamese-American community, a
young but energetic group comprised of more than one million
citizens, should be included in future dialogues with U.S.
government officials. They know the history, culture and
values of Vietnam. They also have scrutinized the history and
tactics of communism and the communist government's habits at
the negotiating table. I sincerely believe that the history
of Vietnam must inform our approach to this and all other
aspects of foreign policy, and the Vietnamese-American
community is a tremendous asset in this regard. I
respectfully request that you invite a small representation
of the Vietnamese-American community to join the U.S.
delegation in next month's human rights dialogue.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Frank R. Wolf,
Member of Congress.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, as chair of the U.S.-Vietnam Caucus,
dedicated to strengthening the bilateral relationship between the
United States and Vietnam, I strongly support efforts to help Vietnam
improve its human rights record and I support this resolution. Nothing
would do more for this important relationship that continued steps by
Vietnam towards respect for free speech, human rights, religious
freedom and democratization. I have raised this issue at the highest
levels of Vietnam's government and continue to do so at every
opportunity.
However, given that Vietnam has made significant progress over the
last decade, I wish that we could have passed the version as
introduced, which focuses on the steps Vietnam needs to take, rather
than this Committee-passed version which now includes unhelpful
language about placing certain sanctions and restrictions on the U.S.-
Vietnam relationship. I
[[Page H4253]]
continue to believe that the path of engagement and honest dialogue
will be a more fruitful avenue for the advancement of human rights and
democracy in Vietnam.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 243, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. 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 question will
be postponed.
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