[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 101 (Monday, July 9, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1212-E1213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CALLING FOR THE FIRING OF U.S. AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, July 9, 2012

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I submit a letter I sent to President Obama 
and Secretary Clinton calling for the firing of the U.S. ambassador to 
Vietnam.
  Ambassador David Shear should be removed because he has repeatedly 
failed to advocate for human rights and speak out for the voiceless in 
Vietnam. I recommend that he be replaced by a Vietnamese-American.
  I am particularly upset by Ambassador Shear's failure to invite more 
dissidents and human rights activists to the U.S. Embassy for a July 4 
celebration after promising that he would.
  Further, I have been disappointed in Shear's handling of the case of 
Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, a Vietnamese-American democracy activist and U.S. 
citizen presently being held by the communist government of Vietnam.
  As I stated in the letter, ``America must be a voice for the 
voiceless. The U.S. Embassy in Vietnam must be an island of freedom, 
headed by a bold American ambassador. Ambassador Shear is not that 
man.''

                                     House of Representatives,

                                                     July 9, 2012.
     Hon. Barack H. Obama,
     The President, The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: On May 15, 2012, the Tom Lantos Human 
     Rights Commission, which I co-chair, held a hearing on human 
     rights abuses in Vietnam. As you undoubtedly know, the State 
     Department's own annual human rights report aptly describes 
     Vietnam as an ``authoritarian state.'' During the hearing, 
     several of my colleagues and I heard testimony from Mrs. Mai 
     Huong Ngo, the wife of Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, a Vietnamese-
     American democracy activist and U.S. citizen. Upon his 
     arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh 
     City on April 17, he was arbitrarily detained and has been in 
     prison ever since. Dr. Quan's wife was invited to testify in 
     light of her husband's plight.
       Assistant Secretary Michael Posner was also invited to 
     testify at the hearing on behalf of the State Department. At 
     the time I expressed my shock and dismay that no one from the 
     department, not even the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, David 
     Shear, had been in touch with Dr. Quan's wife since his 
     detention. Only at my urging did Ambassador Shear initiate 
     contact with Mrs. Ngo to update her on her husband's 
     situation.
       This was disturbing on a number of levels. I have long 
     believed that U.S. embassies should be islands of freedom--
     especially in repressive countries like Vietnam. Under 
     Ambassador Shear's leadership it didn't appear that the U.S. 
     embassy in Hanoi was embracing this important task. But even 
     more troubling is the fact that Dr. Quan is an American 
     citizen, and yet there appeared to be little urgency to 
     securing his release.
       In speaking by phone with Ambassador Shear following the 
     hearing I expressed my concerns and urged him to host a July 
     4th celebration at the embassy, where the guest list was 
     comprised of religious freedom and democracy activists in 
     Vietnam. I stressed that he should fling open the doors of 
     the embassy and invite Buddhist monks and nuns, Catholic 
     priests and Protestant pastors, Internet bloggers and 
     democracy activists. Such was the custom during the Reagan 
     Administration, especially in the Soviet Union. This practice 
     sent a strong message that America stood with those who stand 
     for basic human rights. In many cases it afforded these 
     individuals protection from future harassment and even 
     imprisonment.
       Ambassador Shear said that he intended to honor this 
     request. Following my conversation with him I received the 
     enclosed letter from the department indicating that, 
     ``Ambassador Shear continues to engage with civil society 
     advocates, promoters of rule-of-law, and democracy activists 
     and will welcome them to the Embassy's July 4th 
     celebration.'' I took Ambassador Shear at his word and in 
     fact shared this correspondence with members of the 
     Vietnamese Diaspora community in the U.S., several of whom 
     were greatly encouraged by this development.
       Late last week it was brought to my attention that many of 
     the most prominent democracy and human rights activists in 
     Vietnam were not invited to the event. These reports seemed 
     starkly at odds with the assurances I had personally received 
     from Ambassador Shear. I called him directly this morning to 
     find out if the embassy had invited the dissidents as had 
     been agreed upon. His response was appalling. He said that he 
     had invited a few civil society activists but then said that 
     he needed to maintain a ``balance.'' I then asked him for a 
     list of the invitees. He initially refused saying he was 
     unable to provide this information, even though presumably 
     the embassy, which he leads, created the guest list. Then he 
     said he would have to address this through State Department. 
     I asked him when we might expect to receive a copy of the 
     guest list and, after initially declining to be specific; he 
     eventually conceded that it would be ``in a few weeks.''
       Ambassador Shear's entire handling of this issue has been 
     unacceptable. He showed little to no initiative in the case 
     of Dr. Quan. Then, after appearing to recognize the 
     shortsightedness of this approach, he agreed to host an 
     Independence Day event at the embassy attended by human 
     rights and democracy activists--only to go back on his word 
     and mislead me about his intentions. Finally, when posed with 
     a simple congressional request for additional information 
     about the guest list at a U.S. embassy event, he was 
     uncooperative at best and obstructionist at worst.

[[Page E1213]]

       In light of these realities, I write today to call for the 
     firing of Ambassador Shear.
       Sadly, his sidelining of serious human rights issues in 
     Vietnam is symptomatic of this administration's overall 
     approach to human rights and religious freedom. Time and 
     again these issues are put on the back-burner--to the 
     detriment of freedom-loving people the world over. In a 
     Constitution Day speech, President Ronald Reagan described 
     the United States Constitution as ``a covenant we have made 
     not only with ourselves, but with all of mankind.'' We have 
     an obligation to keep that covenant. If you were to take this 
     action, it would send a critical message to U.S. ambassadors 
     globally, and just as importantly, to repressive governments 
     which fear the words of the Constitution and the promise they 
     hold as much as they fear the aspirations of their own 
     people.
       I have repeatedly said that it would be fitting for a 
     Vietnamese-American to serve as U.S. ambassador Vietnam--
     someone who understands the country, the language, and the 
     oppressive nature of the government having experienced it 
     themselves before coming to the U.S. Such an individual would 
     not be tempted to maintain smooth bilateral relations at all 
     costs. Such an individual would embrace the cause of freedom. 
     The Vietnamese people, and frankly millions of Vietnamese-
     Americans, deserve better than what Ambassador Shear and this 
     administration are giving them.
       America must be a voice for the voiceless. The U.S. Embassy 
     in Vietnam must be an island of freedom, headed by a bold 
     American ambassador. Ambassador Shear is not that man.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
                                               Member of Congress.
       Enclosure.
                                  ____
                                  


                            United States Department of State,

                                    Washington, DC, June 26, 2012.
     Hon. Frank R. Wolf,
     House of Representatives.
       Dear Mr. Wolf: Thank you for your letter of June 6 
     following up on your phone conversation last month with 
     Ambassador Shear regarding the Tom Lantos Human Rights 
     Commission's hearing on Vietnam and the case of Dr. Richard 
     Nguyen.
       We continue to urge the Vietnamese government to release 
     Dr. Nguyen. In addition to raising his case with high-level 
     Vietnamese officials, our consular officers will continue to 
     provide all appropriate consular assistance to Dr. Nguyen. 
     Ambassador Shear has personally spoken with Dr. Nguyen's 
     wife, Mai Huang Ngo, and senior officials from our Consulate 
     in Ho Chi Minh City remain in close contact with her.
       Ambassador Shear continues to engage with civil society 
     advocates, promoters of rule-of-law, and democracy activists 
     and will welcome them to the Embassy's July 4th celebration. 
     This is one of many ways we promote respect for human rights 
     and rule-of-law in Vietnam.
       We will keep you and your staff updated on developments 
     regarding Dr. Richard Nguyen. Please do not hesitate to let 
     us know if we can be of further assistance.
           Sincerely,

                                               David S. Adams,

                                              Assistant Secretary,
     Legislative Affairs.

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