[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 49 (Friday, April 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HIGHLIGHTING VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 12, 2013

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I recently chaired a hearing to 
examine the human rights situation in Vietnam.
   The Vietnamese government continues to be an egregious violator of a 
broad array of human rights. Our distinguished witnesses provided a 
detailed account; 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 2012 Annual Report, ``[t]he government of Vietnam continues 
to control all religious communities, restrict and penalize independent 
religious practice severely, and repress individuals and groups viewed 
as challenging its authority.'' I agree with USCIRF's conclusion that 
Vietnam should be designated a CPC country.
   I met courageous religious leaders during my last trip to Vietnam 
who were struggling for fundamental human rights in their country. 
Unfortunately, many of them, including Father Ly and the Most Venerable 
Thich Quang Do, remain wrongly detained today. There are disturbing 
reports that Father Ly is suffering poor health. Leaders of religious 
organizations are not the only ones victimized by the Vietnamese 
government; individuals and small communities are also targeted by the 
regime. One of our witnesses, Mr. Tien Tran, spoke of the brutality 
that he experienced as a member of the Con Dau parish that was 
violently repressed in 2010 when they tried to have a funeral 
procession.
   The State Department's upgrade of Vietnam from Tier 2 Watch List to 
Tier 2 with respect to the minimum standards for the elimination of 
human trafficking also needs to be critically examined. The 
Department's 2012 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-licensed labor export 
companies engage in fraud and charge illegal commissions for overseas 
employment, and that there 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 heard from Ms. Hui Danh who testified about the ordeal that her 
sister has endured as a victim of human trafficking. I am deeply 
disturbed by her story because her sister's situation actually got 
worse when she asked for help from the Vietnamese embassy. I greatly 
admire her courage and the Subcommittee is most appreciative of her 
willingness to speak out and bring attention to this issue.
   Despite the dismal status for human rights in Vietnam, we can exert 
pressure on the Vietnamese government to cease these abuses. I will be 
reintroducing the Vietnam Human Rights Act soon; swift Congressional 
action on this bill will send a strong message that Congress will not 
tolerate continuing human rights abuses in Vietnam.
   It is imperative that the United States Government send an 
unequivocal message to the Vietnamese regime that it must end its human 
rights abuses against its own citizens. This message however, should 
not be confined to the Human Rights Dialogue; it must be raised at each 
opportunity that we have talks with the Vietnamese government.
   I thank all of our witnesses for appearing before the Subcommittee, 
and we look forward to hearing your testimony.

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