[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 65 (Thursday, April 30, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H5002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE 34TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF SAIGON

  (Mr. CAO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CAO. Madam Speaker, on April 28, 1975, an 8-year-old boy was 
rushed into an American C-130 to seek freedom in a foreign land. Two 
days later, on April 30, the Communist forces rumbled into Saigon and 
marked the beginning of one of the darkest periods in the long and 
illustrious history of Vietnam.
  Immediately following April 30, the Communist government initiated 
one of the most horrific cultural and political cleansings of our time. 
Hundreds of thousands of religious, political, and military leaders 
were thrown into re-education camps. Approximately 300,000 people died 
at sea while fleeing the horrors of this regime; and of those who 
remained, thousands more died from famine.
  Madam Speaker, today marks the 34th anniversary of that dark day in 
April when Saigon fell. The 8-year-old boy of whom I spoke now stands 
before you. I, on behalf of the 1.5 million Vietnamese living in the 
United States, take this opportunity to remember all who perished in 
the Vietnam conflict.
  I urge my colleagues to work with the Vietnamese communities around 
the world to promote a free and democratic Vietnam.

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