[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 21]
[House]
[Pages 29696-29700]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP OF UNIFIED 
                       BUDDHIST CHURCH OF VIETNAM

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 427) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives regarding the courageous leadership of the Unified 
Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the urgent need for religious freedom 
and related human rights in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 427

       Whereas Buddhism has a 2,000-year tradition in Vietnam and 
     the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) is an heir to 
     this tradition;
       Whereas the Government of Vietnam in 1981 declared the 
     UBCV, one of the largest religious denominations in the 
     country, illegal, confiscated its temples, and persecuted its 
     clergy for refusing to join the state-sponsored Buddhist 
     organizations;
       Whereas the Government of Vietnam has often imprisoned UBCV 
     clergy and subjected them to other forms of persecution; the 
     Patriarch of the UBCV, the 85-year-old Most Venerable Thich 
     Huyen Quang, has been detained and restrained for more than 2 
     decades in isolated areas of Vietnam;
       Whereas the Vietnamese Government has held the Most 
     Venerable Thich Quang Do, the Executive President of the UBCV 
     and his deputy, the Venerable Thich Tue Sy, in various forms 
     of detention since 1977;
       Whereas the Very Venerable Thich Thien Minh, Supreme 
     Counselor of the UBCV, was tortured to death in a reeducation 
     camp in 1978;
       Whereas many other leading UBCV figures, including Thich 
     Thien Hanh, Thich Phuoc An, Thich Dong Tho, Thich Vien Dinh, 
     Thich Thai Hoa, Thich Nguyen Ly, Thich Thanh Huyen, Thich 
     Khong Tanh, Thich Phuoc Vien, Thich Hai Tang, Thich Dong Tho, 
     Thich Nguyen Vuong, Thich Chi Mau, Thich Chi Thang, and Thich 
     Thanh Quang have been detained, harassed, and under tight 
     surveillance;
       Whereas several members of the UBCV have fled to Cambodia 
     to escape religious repression and harassment;
       Whereas Pham Van Tuong, formerly known as Thich Tri Luc, 
     disappeared from Cambodia in July 2002 after being given 
     refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for 
     Refugees (UNHCR), and has since been discovered to be in 
     custody in Vietnam, where he is reportedly charged with the 
     vague crime of ``fleeing abroad or defecting overseas with 
     the intent to oppose the people's administration,'' which 
     carries a possible sentence of life imprisonment;
       Whereas Vietnam has acceded to international covenants and 
     treaties that prohibit the forced repatriation of UNHCR-
     recognized refugees;
       Whereas Vietnam has acceded to international covenants and 
     treaties that protect the right to faith, belief, and 
     practice;
       Whereas Vietnam's constitution protects the right of 
     religious belief;
       Whereas in a show of religious tolerance, the Vietnamese 
     Government in April 2003 allowed the Most Venerable Thich 
     Huyen Quang, the Fourth Supreme Patriarch of the UBCV, to 
     receive urgent medical care in Hanoi;
       Whereas at that time, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van 
     Khai met with Venerable Thich Huyen Quang and assured him 
     that his and Venerable Thich Quang Do's detention were 
     mistakes by local officials and that he hoped they would 
     extend Buddhist forgiveness toward past actions of the 
     government;
       Whereas in June 2003, the Vietnamese Government ended the 
     detention order against Venerable Thich Quang Do, the 
     Executive President of the UBCV;
       Whereas in September and October 2003, the UBCV held a 
     meeting in Nguyen Thieu Pagoda in Binh Dinh province to 
     discuss church affairs, choose a new leadership which had 
     been vacant for a decade, and verify Vietnamese Prime 
     Minister Phan Van Khai's promise of a new era of 
     understanding and respect;
       Whereas Vietnamese authorities attempted to disrupt these 
     gatherings by restricting the travel of monks from other 
     provinces and then intimidating those attending;
       Whereas on October 8, 2003, Vietnamese authorities 
     initiated a tense standoff following the meeting, where 
     police stopped a vehicle carrying the UBCV's new leadership 
     and subsequently detained the eleven passengers;
       Whereas Venerables Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do 
     were taken to their respective pagodas where they have been 
     effectively isolated and detained; four senior monks, the 
     Venerable Thich Tue Sy, Thich Thanh Huyen, Thich Nguyen Ly, 
     and the UBCV Supreme Patriarch's personal assistant, 
     Venerable Thich Dong Tho, were immediately sentenced to 24 
     months of administrative detainment by written orders of the 
     Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, and three others, the 
     Venerables Thich Thien Hanh, Thich Thai Hoa, and Thich Nguyen 
     Vuong to 24 months administrative detainment by ``oral'' 
     orders from various local authorities, in protest of which 
     the Venerable Thich Thien Hanh initiated a hunger strike on 
     October 19, 2003;
       Whereas according to reports by the United States State 
     Department, the United States Commission on International 
     Religious Freedom, and the European Union, the Socialist 
     Republic of Vietnam systematically limits the right of 
     religious organizations to choose their own clergy;
       Whereas according to these same reports, the Socialist 
     Republic of Vietnam uses house arrest and long prison 
     sentences to punish individuals for practicing their faith, 
     as evidenced also by the jail sentences handed down to Father 
     Nguyen Van Ly, his three relatives, Montagnard and Hmong 
     Protestants, Cao Dai, and Hoa Hao Buddhists;
       Whereas during the 107th Congress the House of 
     Representatives passed H.R. 2833, the Vietnam Human Rights 
     Act, on September 6, 2001, which noted the persecutions faced 
     by various members of the UBCV over the past 25 years; and
       Whereas because of systematic, egregious, and ongoing 
     abuses of religious freedom, the United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom recommended that the 
     President of the United States designate Vietnam as a 
     ``country of particular concern'' under the provisions of the 
     International Religious Freedom Act of 1998: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

[[Page 29697]]

       (1) congratulates the new leadership of the Unified 
     Buddhist Church of Vietnam;
       (2) urges the Government of Vietnam to respect the right of 
     all independent religious organizations to meet, worship, 
     operate, and practice their faith in accordance with 
     Vietnam's own constitution and international covenants to 
     which Vietnam is a signatory;
       (3) urges the Government of Vietnam to restore freedom to 
     all Vietnamese citizens imprisoned or under house arrest for 
     practicing their faith or for advocating freedom of religion, 
     especially the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang and the Very 
     Venerable Thich Quang Do;
       (4) is committed to promoting religious freedom in Vietnam, 
     and, in furtherance of this goal, urges the implementation of 
     the recommendations of the United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom; and
       (5) urges the United States Embassy in Vietnam to closely 
     monitor cases of abuse of religious belief and practice, 
     routinely visit detained clergy members, especially those in 
     need of medical care, and report to the Congress on specific 
     measures taken to protect and promote religious freedom in 
     Vietnam.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Leach) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach).


                             General Leave

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 427 regarding the United Buddhist Church 
of Vietnam. This resolution congratulates the newly appointed 
leadership of this Buddhist Church and notes the persecutions faced by 
the church during the past 3 decades and urges the Government of the 
Socialist Republic of Vietnam to comply with its own constitutional and 
international pledges to protect rights of religious belief and 
practice.
  According to the State Department, the Vietnamese government 
``continues to maintain broad legal and policy restrictions on 
religious freedom and to ban and actively discourage participation in 
what it regards as illegal religious groups, including the Unified 
Buddhist Church of Vietnam.'' The most recent Country Reports on Human 
Rights Practices notes that religious and organizational activities by 
Buddhist monks associated with this church are illegal and that all of 
this Buddhist church's activities outside of private temple worship 
have been proscribed by the government.
  The plight of the Unified Buddhist Church is perhaps most poignantly 
symbolized by the enforced isolation endured by some of its senior 
clerics over the past 2\1/2\ decades, notwithstanding their advanced 
age and sometimes frail health. Inspired by their examples of 
nonviolence and courage, we reaffirm our belief in the rights of all 
people to worship and to organize their religious communities according 
to the dictates of conscience, free from state coercion.
  At the same time, it is important to note that H. Res. 427 is not 
merely critical of past transgressions. It is also aspirational. In 
addition to citing the Constitution of Vietnam, which formally protects 
religious freedom of belief, it notes certain extremely modest but 
welcome developments earlier this year.
  This past spring the Vietnamese government allowed the Fourth Supreme 
Patriarch of the Buddhist Church to travel to Hanoi to seek urgent 
medical care and also ended the long-standing detention ordered against 
the Venerable Thich Quang Do. During that period the Vietnamese Prime 
Minister reportedly met with the Supreme Patriarch and made statements 
that some hoped would presage an era of increased governmental openness 
towards the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
  Unfortunately, those statements have not yet borne practical 
dividends, and just last month there were indications of a renewed 
crackdown in the Buddhist leadership, including the return of numerous 
senior clerics to effective detention. At a time when Vietnam is 
admittedly undergoing many transformations that are progressive, we 
urge the government of that nation to trust its citizens with the basic 
freedoms that they deserve.
  I would like to thank the personnel of the United States Department 
of State and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom who 
worked with our committee staff and with the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez), the sponsor, to update and refine the 
language of the original resolution. The text before us is a 
thoughtful, accurate product that deserves the support of this body.
  Mr. Speaker I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in strong support of this resolution.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. Speaker, I first would like to commend my good friend and 
colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for 
introducing this important and timely resolution. I would also like to 
thank the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) for moving this 
legislation to the floor so expeditiously.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution before the House tackles a critically 
important human rights matter: the continued oppression of the United 
Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the lack of religious freedom in that 
country. For most of the last two millennia, Buddhism flourished in 
Vietnam. But in 1981, the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam was 
declared illegal, its temples were confiscated by the government, its 
clergy was persecuted because they refused to join State-sponsored 
Buddhist organizations.
  Leading figures in the Buddhist Church have been jailed, detained in 
isolated areas, harassed, and kept under constant surveillance. The 
Vietnamese government has systematically prevented Buddhist monks from 
meeting and worshipping as they choose.
  The Vietnamese government's campaign of repression against key 
religious figures and organizations has been strongly criticized by the 
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an 
organization which we will be soon commending this morning. Our 
President has designated Vietnam ``as a country of particular concern'' 
under the International Religious Freedom Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution urges the government of Vietnam to 
respect the right of all religious organizations to meet, to worship, 
to operate, and to practice their faith in accordance with Vietnam's 
own Constitution and international covenants to which Vietnam is a 
signatory. We cannot have truly normal relations with Vietnam until the 
Vietnamese government finally lives up to its obligations to protect 
religious freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. In that case, Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield such 
time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta 
Sanchez), the author of this resolution.
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman 
from Iowa (Mr. Leach) for bringing this to the floor, and I thank the 
gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde).
  Mr. Speaker, I represent the largest Vietnamese population outside of 
Vietnam in the world, in Orange County, California, so I have been 
following the relationship of the United States and Vietnam for the 
last 7 years that I have been in the Congress. I rise today to speak on 
behalf of House Resolution 427, a bipartisan resolution which 
highlights the courageous leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church of 
Vietnam, which is currently undergoing one of the harshest crackdowns 
in history, and the urgent need for religious freedom, and for basic 
human rights in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

[[Page 29698]]

  This resolution, which I introduced with my colleagues, the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom 
Davis), the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), and the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) is timely, important, and will do 
a great deal to advance the cause of religious freedom in Vietnam.
  Now, many of my colleagues will say, well, Loretta has opposed trade 
relations with Vietnam, or there has always been a difficult 
relationship with Vietnam, and the answer is yes, but that is in the 
past. This is about the current situation, and the current situation is 
about religious freedom, or the ability for the Vietnamese people to 
express their religious beliefs in the way that they want.
  Let us remember that the United States was based in part on those 
people who came to this land to seek their way of respecting and 
praising their Lord. And, in the same way, that is a basic human right 
for all people of the world.
  Despite the growing bilateral and economic relations that the United 
States has with Vietnam, the Vietnamese government has continued to 
blatantly disregard religious freedom in Vietnam. It is a basic right 
guaranteed by the Vietnamese constitution and enshrined in the United 
Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Vietnam has both 
ratified and has pledged to uphold. According to the 2003 report of the 
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the 
Vietnamese government does not, does not fully support religious 
freedom. I would like to quote some of the statements from that report.
  It says, ``The current approach of the U.S. Government to advance 
religious freedom in Vietnam has failed to yield concrete results. Key 
religious dissidents have been imprisoned. Others remain under house 
arrest. In addition, the government has intensified its crackdown on 
religious minorities in the western provinces and in the Central 
Highlands.''
  The report goes on to state that ``Therefore, the Commission 
recommends that the United States Government intensify its leverage to 
hold the government of Vietnam to its international obligation to 
protect human rights, including that of religious freedom.''
  This resolution does just that.
  The latest incident, which occurred just this year, the one with the 
Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the largest religious denomination 
in that country, was because they held a meeting to elect new 
leadership, discuss their future, and to verify that the Prime Minister 
of Vietnam had promised a new era of understanding and respect. In 
stark contrast to that promise of respect and understanding, the 
Vietnamese authorities disrupted that meeting, intimidated the people 
at that meeting, and ultimately arrested most of the leadership.
  The Venerables Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do were taken into 
custody and remain in detainment. Now, one of them is 75 years old. I 
have met with him in Vietnam. He is not a menace to society. In fact, 
he was nominated by over 60 Members of Congress in the year 2000 for 
the Noble Peace Prize. He has about 2 decades worth of arrests from 
this current government.
  These actions are unconscionable but, unfortunately, they are nothing 
new. The Vietnamese government has routinely used intimidation, 
harassment, and imprisonment to punish individuals who choose to 
practice their own faith.
  I recently spoke with a high-ranking Vietnamese official regarding 
the crackdown on the church, and about religious freedom in Vietnam in 
general, and he said, of course Vietnam supports religious freedom, but 
he failed to deny that, in fact, they have imprisoned the leadership of 
the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
  I was informed that if these leaders want to practice their faith, 
they are more than welcome to do so as members of the State-authorized 
Buddhist Church. Having the option of joining only one State-sponsored 
Buddhist Church is a far cry, in my opinion, of religious freedom. And 
enduring decades of imprisonment for peacefully practicing one's faith 
is not religious freedom. Vietnam has a long way to go.
  So, in closing, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. 
Doing so will not only send a strong message to the Vietnamese 
government that its actions are not going unnoticed, but it will 
reinforce the human rights standards that we expect of Vietnam as we 
move forward in strengthening our bilateral relationship with them.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank the gentlewoman 
from California for her wonderful leadership on this initiative and 
also that of her colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis).
  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, let me just say it is a 
pleasure to follow my friend and colleague from California, and I have 
enjoyed working with her on these issues and the leadership she has 
given to the human rights issues in Vietnam.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 427, a resolution to that congratulates 
the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam for its courageous leadership 
and calls for religious freedom and related human rights in Vietnam.
  Mr. Speaker, Vietnam's constitution protects the rights of religious 
belief, and the Vietnamese government has acceded to a number of 
international treaties to protect the right to faith and practice. 
Buddhism has a 2,000 year history in Vietnam, and the Unified Buddhist 
Church of Vietnam is an important part of this tradition. Yet, in 1981, 
the Vietnamese government outlawed the UBCV, the Unified Buddhist 
Church of Vietnam, and has since detained and harassed many of its 
clergy members and subjected them to other forms of persecution.
  Earlier this year, the Vietnamese Prime Minister met with the 
Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, the Supreme Patriarch of the Unified 
Church of Vietnam, and assured him that previous arrests were mistakes 
and that the government would respect and honor religious freedom. But 
despite these promises, the Vietnamese government arrested members this 
past September after they held a meeting to discuss church matters and 
elect new leadership.
  The punishment by Vietnamese authorities of individuals who practice 
their religious faith or exert other basic human rights are not 
uncommon in Vietnam. In addition to the arrests of the Most Venerable 
Thich Quang Do and other members of the UBCV, the Vietnamese government 
has imprisoned father Nguyen Huu Le, Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Father Van Ly 
and three of his relatives, and many other individuals for practicing 
their faiths and for promoting human rights in Vietnam.
  As the United States continues to establish diplomatic and economic 
relationships with Vietnam, we have to remember that many of the most 
basic issues remain unresolved, including the lack of religious freedom 
and related human rights violations. House Resolution 427 sends a clear 
signal that we will not tolerate these violations.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the new leadership of the Unified Buddhist 
Church of Vietnam, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this 
bipartisan resolution.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), a distinguished member of 
the California delegation.
  Ms. LOFGREN. I look forward to the day, Mr. Speaker, when we no 
longer need to introduce resolutions condemning the Vietnamese 
government for human rights violations.
  Unfortunately, I see no sign of change in Vietnam. The Vietnamese 
government continues to systematically violate the human rights of its 
citizens through political, cultural, and religious oppression. In 
fact, it seems that things have gotten worse in recent years, despite 
our attempts to build Normal Trade Relations with Vietnam.
  Just last month, the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam held two

[[Page 29699]]

peaceful assemblies to discuss church affairs and elect new leadership 
following promises of a new era of ``respect and understanding for 
religious freedom'' by the Vietnamese Prime Minister. In stark contrast 
to this promise of ``respect and understanding,'' the Vietnamese 
Security Police intercepted the church leadership. After a tense 10-
hour standoff, 11 monks were arrested and placed under administrative 
detention. The Buddhist Church's Patriarch, Thich Huyen Quang, 86 years 
old, and his deputy, Noble Peace Prize nominee Thich Quang do, 75 years 
old, are currently being held in total isolation.
  According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, 
this is pretty much the norm in Vietnam. They say ``key religious 
dissidents have been imprisoned, and others remain in detention or 
under house arrest.'' They have reports of 18 Buddhists in prison or 
under house arrest, and 20 UBCV in detention or reeducation camps.
  My colleagues and I have repeatedly sent letters to the Vietnamese 
government asking them to release prisoners of conscience and to 
refrain from various forms of political, religious, and cultural 
oppression. The vast majority of these requests seem to fall on deaf 
ears, like our recent letter regarding the arrest of the 86-year-old 
Buddhist leader and his 75-year-old deputy. This is unacceptable.
  So today I rise with my colleagues in very strong support of this 
resolution. We cannot sit idly by as the Vietnamese government 
continues to oppress its people while hiding behind the veil of free 
trade. As long as the people of Vietnam are oppressed, our government 
cannot relax, even if there are strategic military interests and a 
strong relationship with Vietnam. Our interests must include human 
rights and now is the time to act.
  The whole world is watching and we will not cease until we see 
improvements in Vietnam.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to our distinguished 
colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support as a cosponsor of this 
legislation. Of course, the focus here is to spotlight the Unified 
Buddhist Church of Vietnam and the treatment that it has been receiving 
at the hands of the government of North Vietnam, that Communist 
government that now, for over 20 years, for 20 years have been trying 
to suppress the Buddhist Church, and that church has simply been 
fighting to practice their religion peacefully.

                              {time}  1045

  The difficulties commenced in 1981 when the government declared the 
Buddhist Church, and this is the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, 
they declared it illegal. They confiscated the temples of the Buddhist 
Church. They began persecuting the clergy if that clergy did not join 
up with Communist organizations, stated-sponsored Buddhist 
organizations.
  When I visited Vietnam, I saw firsthand the Communist Party's 
harassment of those Vietnamese citizens who decided to peacefully set 
forth dissenting political views, dissenting religious views. I met 
with several of them who were under house arrest. In particular, the 
Venerable Thich Quang Do and the Venerable Le Quang Liem. The reason 
they were under house arrest was simply because they were protesting a 
rewrite of the holy books, of the Buddhist holy books, holy works. The 
Communist Party had attempted to slash 80 or 90 percent of those works, 
and instead resubstitute and rewrite a culture that goes back thousands 
and thousands of years. And, of course, the laity and the leadership of 
the church took great umbrage at this and simply asked that they be 
allowed to practice their religion.
  Well, in June of this year when the Vietnamese government ended the 
detention order against Thich Quang Do, we were all quite hopeful. 
However, our hopes were quickly dashed when last month the Buddhist 
Church's meetings were disrupted and the travel of monks was restricted 
and, again, some were arrested.
  Today we are here to say as the United States Congress that we are 
not satisfied with the state of human rights in Vietnam and that the 
United States has a strong interest in promoting respect for individual 
rights around the world. The U.S. must be a strong advocate of human 
rights, particularly when basic freedoms are being wantonly abused as 
they are in Vietnam.
  We must continue to shine a light on Vietnam. I urge the passage of 
this resolution. I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 427, which 
recognizes the courageous leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church in 
Vietnam and stresses the urgent need for the government of the Republic 
of Vietnam to respect religious freedom and basic human rights. I thank 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for offering it 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, Vietnam's oppression of religious liberty, which is well 
documented in the State Department Reports on Human Rights and 
Religious Freedom, as well as by credible human rights organizations, 
continues to deteriorate. This is a regime with clear non-ambiguous 
policies designed to control and to repress religion. At its Seventh 
plenum in January 2003, the Communist Party's Central Committee stepped 
up its persecution of religious groups issuing a resolution which calls 
for the establishment of cells of Communist party members within each 
of Vietnam's six approved religions in order to foil ``hostile 
forces.''
  Persecution of Buddhists highlighted in this resolution has been 
particularly harsh. Many leading clergy of the Unified Buddhist Church 
of Vietnam have been imprisoned including the church's Patriarch, the 
Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, who is now 85 years old and has been 
detained for the past 21 years.
  The government has continually attempted to control the selection of 
new clergy for the Unified Buddhist Church, restricting the travel of 
and intimidating monks attending selection meetings. We know that other 
groups suffer severe religious persecution as well, including the 
Christian Montagnards in the Central Highlands, Catholics and members 
of indigenous Vietnamese religions.
  One particular case, Mr. Speaker, that has been disturbing, one of 
many, is that of Father Ly, an outspoken critic of the regime who is 
currently serving a 10-year sentence for calling on the government for 
the return of confiscated church properties and respect for religious 
freedom. Amazingly, his nephews, Nguyen Vu Viet and Nguyen Truc Cuong, 
and his niece, Nguyen Thi Hoa, recently received prison sentences after 
a sham trial, after being found guilty of dubious charges of ``abusing 
democracy.''
  Next week, Mr. Speaker, the Vietnamese government has the chance to 
set the record straight when their appeal will be heard. They should be 
released. They have to be released along with Father Ly. And I think 
this Congress, the House and the Senate, needs to be watching very 
carefully if our relationship is to progress. We have to see 
significant and sustained progress on these cases and, of course, those 
with regards to the Unified Buddhist Church.
  Mr. Speaker, this Congress has not been lax in trying to raise these 
issues, as I know my good friend and colleague Mr. Leach knows because 
he has worked so strongly in this area. ``I offered The Vietnam Human 
Rights Act'' as an amendment to the State Department bill, which is now 
pending before the House and Senate. Similar legislation has already 
passed the House before and hopefully the session, the Vietnam Human 
Rights Act will become law. This legislation sets up a number of 
criteria that would seek to

[[Page 29700]]

move the ball forward with regard to human rights, and in particular, 
the area of religious freedom.
  Again, it is a good resolution that has been offered today and it 
deserves the honest support of this body.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his profound statement and for 
his leadership on so many human rights issues as well as the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Lantos).
  Mr. Speaker, I would only conclude with the observation that there 
are very important abstract principles at issue here but they are made 
concrete by references to individuals which the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) has just done. Individuals matter because it is with 
the individual that the picture at large can be revealed. So we care 
about the individuals in this particular instance as well as the 
principle of the freedom of religion.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to this ill-conceived and ill-
timed bill. I would like to remind my colleagues that according to our 
own Constitution, Congress is prohibited from making any law 
``respecting the establishment of religion or the free exercise 
thereof.'' Yet are we not doing that today--albeit in a country some 
10,000 miles away? Why on earth are we commending one particular church 
in Vietnam in the name of ``religious freedom''? At the risk of being 
blunt, what business is the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam of the 
United States Congress? The answer, of course, is that this legislation 
is of a much more political than a religious nature: this bill tells 
the Vietnamese government how it should enforce its own constitution, 
commits the United States government to promoting religious freedom in 
Vietnam, and tells the U.S. embassy staff in Vietnam to ``closely 
monitor'' religious issues in Vietnam. It is an attempt to meddle in 
the affairs of Vietnam and force them to adopt the kinds of laws we 
think they should have. Mr. Speaker, as much as we value our own 
religious liberty, we must realize that setting the example of the 
benefits of a society that values such liberty is much more effective 
than demanding that other countries pass the kinds of laws we want them 
to pass. The unintended consequences of this otherwise well-meaning 
legislation is that relations with the Vietnamese government will 
likely suffer, making it less likely that Vietnam's leaders look 
favorably upon our own history of religious liberty.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 427, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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