[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 25, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E72]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            EXAMINING ONGOING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN VIETNAM

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 25, 2012

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I chaired a hearing 
to examine the ongoing human rights situation in Vietnam.
  The Vietnamese Government continues to be an egregious violator of a 
broad array of human rights. Our distinguished witnesses who testified 
before me yesterday provided detailed accounts; I would like to 
highlight just a few areas of grave concern.
  Despite the State Department's decision in 2006 to remove Vietnam 
from the list of Countries of Particular Concern as designated pursuant 
to the International Religious Freedom Act, Vietnam, in fact, continues 
to be among the worst violators of religious freedom in the world. 
According to the United States Commission for International Religious 
Freedom's 2011 Annual Report, ``[t]he government of Vietnam continues 
to control religious communities, severely restrict and penalize 
independent religious practice, and brutally repress individuals and 
groups viewed as challenging its authority.'' I agree with USCIRF's 
conclusion that Vietnam should be designated a CPC country.
  The State Department's designation of Vietnam as a Tier 2 Watch List 
country with respect to the minimum standards for the elimination of 
human trafficking also needs to be critically examined. The 
Department's 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report states not only that 
Vietnamese women and children are being sexually exploited, but that 
there are severe labor abuses occurring as well--with the government's 
complicity. The Report acknowledges that state-affiliated and state-
licensed labor export companies engage in numerous trafficking-related 
violations, including fraud and the charging of illegal commissions for 
overseas employment. There also are documented cases of recruitment 
companies ignoring pleas for help from workers in exploitative 
situations.
  As the sponsor of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, I am deeply 
disturbed that the Tier Rankings are not being better utilized by our 
State Department to pressure Vietnam to correct the trafficking abuses 
occurring within its government, not to mention those in the private 
sector.
  We were particularly privileged to have Ms. Phong-Anh Vu with us to 
testify about the horrific suffering she endured when she was 
trafficked from Vietnam to Jordan. It is also troubling to hear about 
the abuse that she and others have continued to endure at the hands of 
the Vietnamese Government even after their escape from their 
traffickers. I greatly admire her courage and the Subcommittee is most 
appreciative the testimony she presented yesterday.
  I met other courageous individuals during my last trip to Vietnam who 
were struggling for fundamental human rights in their country. 
Unfortunately, many of them continue to be persecuted by the 
government. Father Ly is in prison and is suffering from very poor 
health, and Attorney Nguyen Van Dai remains under house arrest.
  Despite this dismal status for human rights in Vietnam, there are new 
opportunities for the United States to exert pressure on the government 
to cease these abuses.
  H.R. 1410, the Vietnam Human Rights Act which I introduced last 
year--and which passed the House previously in 2007--would provide 
significant motivation to the government of Vietnam to respect its 
international human rights obligations. It would prohibit any annual 
increase in the amount of non-humanitarian assistance that the United 
States provides to Vietnam unless there is an equal or greater increase 
in the amount of assistance for human rights and democracy promotion 
programming in Vietnam.
  An increase in non-humanitarian assistance would also be prohibited 
unless Vietnam satisfies certain requirements, including substantial 
progress toward respect for the freedom of religion and freedom of 
expression and assembly, respect for ethnic and minority rights, and 
allowing Vietnamese nationals free and open access to United States 
refugee programs. The government would also have to end its complicity 
in severe forms of human trafficking.
  In addition, this legislation would reaffirm the United States' 
commitments: to overcoming the jamming of Radio Free Asia by the 
Vietnamese Government; to engaging in cultural exchanges in a manner 
that promotes freedom and democracy in Vietnam; and to offer refugee 
resettlement to Vietnamese nationals who have been deemed ineligible 
solely due to administrative errors or for other reasons beyond their 
control.
  I thank all of our witnesses for appearing before the Subcommittee 
yesterday.

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