[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 79 (Monday, May 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      VIETNAMESE HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 14, 2007

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise because May 11 
is Vietnamese Human Rights Day, and my conscience will not let me stay 
quiet on this very troubling issue. I also rise today to applaud the 
efforts of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on 
their recent report on the status of religious freedom in the world.
  I am deeply troubled by the findings of the Commission, but I can't 
say that I'm surprised. The Commission made the same recommendation 
last year: Vietnam should be placed on the State Department's list of 
Countries of Particular Concern because of government repression 
towards many religious believers.
  The Vietnamese government's campaign to force people to renounce 
their faith, their detainment of dozens of religious prisoners, and the 
harassment and physical mistreatment of some believers and their 
families amounts to inexcusable human rights violations.
  In Vietnam's quest to gain Permanent Normal Trade Relations with the 
United States, and access to the WTO, the Vietnamese embarked on a 
disingenuous public relations campaign to cleanse its image as a human 
rights violator.
  Secretary Rice caved in to the campaign of their communist government 
and removed Vietnam from the Countries of Particular Concern list.
  But some of us in Congress were not fooled by this advertising 
campaign.
  My constituent, Cong Thanh Do, a United States citizen, was unjustly 
arrested in Vietnam last August while on a family vacation. Mr. Do is 
no criminal. He is nothing more than a peaceful democracy and human 
rights activist who wrote articles that he then posted on the internet 
while he was living in the United States.
  Vietnam held Cong Thanh Do imprisoned for over a month before he was 
released after we pressured the Vietnamese government.
  Because of the evidence suggesting that Vietnam made little progress 
on human rights--especially given the detention of my constituent, Cong 
Thanh Do--I told the administration it would be a mistake to grant 
Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Vietnam and I voted against it.
  Three of Mr. Do's supporters in Vietnam were tried and sentenced 
yesterday for 3 to 5 years of prison each. Their crime? Promoting a 
multi-party democratic system in Vietnam through peaceful means and 
sending email communication to my constituent.
  After Vietnam joined the WTO, I think it is obvious that the 
conditions of religious freedom in Vietnam did not improved. They have 
worsened severely.
  The Vietnamese government removed Father Nguyen Van Ly from his 
parish and on March 30th sentenced him to 8 years in prison for 
allegedly conducting propaganda activities to harm the security of the 
state. His sentence is an outrage.
   Vietnamese police, on March 6, 2007, arrested a pair of human-rights 
lawyers, Nguyen Van Dai (``Die'') and Le Thi Cong Nhan (pronounced 
``Lay Tee Kohng Nhun''), for organizing training sessions for political 
activists in the capital. There are many other dissidents who have been 
imprisoned simply for expressing their thoughts and attempting to 
practice their faith freely and openly. Nguyen Van Dai has since been 
charged with disseminating propaganda against the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Their trials 
and sentencing are scheduled for this Friday in Vietnam.
  Le Quoc Quan (``Lay Kwook Kwun'') and his law colleague Tran Thuy 
Trang (``Truhn Twee Trahng'') were arrested on the day Mr. Quan 
returned to Vietnam from his congressionally-sponsored National 
Endowment for Democracy fellowship in the United States. His arrest is 
not only a human rights violation, it is a calculated insult to America 
and specifically to the United States Congress.
  With all of the human rights problems in Vietnam, the question we 
must ask is, ``What can we do to help?'' The United States has the 
power to influence Vietnam on these important moral issues through the 
use of our many diplomatic and economic tools--if only we have the 
political will and moral courage to use these tools.
  One tool is the Countries of Particular Concern list.
  I believe it was a mistake to take Vietnam off the list. I agree with 
the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom that Secretary 
Rice should redesignate Vietnam a Country of Particular Concern.
  I believe the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Marine, should 
provide financial support to the loved ones of the political detainees, 
using the Human Rights Defender's fund. The wives of many of these 
political prisoners are left without any financial support. We have a 
moral commitment not just to these people who have been imprisoned 
unjustly; we have a moral obligation to relieve the financial burden 
that these arrests have caused for the families of the brave.
  Vietnam claims it has made significant progress in allowing more 
freedom of religion under its Ordinance on Belief and Religion, but 
this is simply untrue. Under this law, affiliated organizations of 
recognized churches may ``register for religious operation.'' In 
practice, however, only 2.5 percent of all house churches have been 
approved for registration. And of the one hundred house churches that 
actually have been registered, only five have been registered for 
religious operation. No real progress has been made.
  Until Vietnam makes real progress on religious freedoms and human 
rights, instead of paying lip service in order to get trade agreements, 
I will continue to press this administration to stand up for the rights 
of the Vietnamese people to speak their minds and practice their faith.

                          ____________________