[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 22211-22219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CALLING ON STATE DEPARTMENT TO LIST VIETNAM AS A RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
                                VIOLATOR

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 20) calling on the State Department to list the 
Socialist Republic of Vietnam as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' 
with respect to religious freedom, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 20

       Whereas the Secretary of State, under the International 
     Religious Freedom Act of 1998

[[Page 22212]]

     (IRFA) and its amendment in 1999, and under authority 
     delegated by the President, designates nations found guilty 
     of ``particularly severe violations of religious freedom as 
     `Countries of Particular Concern''' (CPC);
       Whereas when the United States designates a nation as a 
     CPC, the intent is to place protection and promotion of 
     religious freedom as a diplomatic priority in bilateral 
     relations, including taking actions specified in section 
     405(a)(b)(c) of the IRFA;
       Whereas in November 2006, the State Department announced 
     that the CPC designation was lifted from the Socialist 
     Republic of Vietnam;
       Whereas in explaining the lifting of the designation, State 
     Department officials have stated that Vietnam ``has turned a 
     corner . . . and has what looks like religious freedom'' and 
     that Vietnam ``does not meet the criteria for a severe 
     violator of religious freedom'' under terms set by the IRFA;
       Whereas the criteria for designating countries as a CPC, as 
     set forth in section 3(11) of the IRFA, are for ``systematic, 
     ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom 
     including violations, such as--(A) torture or cruel, inhuman, 
     or degrading treatment of punishment; (B) prolonged detention 
     without charges; (C) causing the disappearance of persons by 
     the abduction or clandestine detention of those persons; and 
     (D) other flagrant denial of the right of life, liberty, or 
     the security of persons.'';
       Whereas in 2004, the Vietnamese National Assembly issued 
     Directive 21/2004/PL-UBTVQH11 to regulate religious 
     activities;
       Whereas this directive contains several articles that 
     seriously interfere with religious freedom and impose heavy 
     government control on religious activities;
       Whereas, on September 15, 2004, the State Department added 
     Vietnam to the CPC list and Ambassador at Large for 
     International Religious Freedom, John Hanford, stated, ``at 
     least 45 religious believers remain imprisoned . . . 
     Protestants have been pressured by authorities to renounce 
     their faith, and some have been subjected to physical 
     abuse.'';
       Whereas to avoid possible sanctions or other ``commensurate 
     actions'' recommended by section 405(a)(b) of the IRFA, in 
     May 2005 the United States and Vietnam reached a ``binding 
     agreement'' consistent with section 405(c) of the IRFA;
       Whereas although the terms of that ``binding agreement'' 
     have never been fully publicized, the United States 
     Commission on International Religious Freedom 2006 Annual 
     Report stated that the United States agreed to lift the CPC 
     designation if the Government of Vietnam fully implemented 
     legislation on religious freedom and rendered previous 
     contradictory regulations obsolete, instructed local 
     authorities strictly and completely to adhere to the new 
     legislation to ensure compliance, facilitated the process by 
     which religious congregations are able to open houses of 
     worship, and gave special consideration to prisoners and 
     cases of concern raised by the United States during the 
     granting of prisoner amnesties;
       Whereas the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), the 
     Hoa Hao Buddhists, and the Cao Dai groups continue to face 
     unwarranted abuses because of their attempts to organize 
     independently of the Vietnamese Government, including the 
     detention and imprisonment of individual members of these 
     religious communities;
       Whereas villagers of Con Dau, Da Nang, have suffered severe 
     violence, including beatings with batons and electric rods 
     during a May 2010 incident, at the hands of Vietnamese 
     Government officials for attempting to protect their historic 
     Catholic cemetery and other parish properties from an 
     attempted government forced sale of these properties;
       Whereas over the last 3 years, 18 Hoa Hao Buddhists have 
     been arrested for distributing sacred texts or publically 
     protesting the religious restrictions placed on them by the 
     Vietnamese Government, at least 12 remain in prison, 
     including 4 sentenced in 2007 for staging a peaceful hunger 
     strike;
       Whereas five members of the Cao Dai religious community 
     remain in prison for distributing materials in Cambodia 
     critical of the Vietnamese Government's restrictions on Cao 
     Dai religious practice, for this action they were sentenced 
     to up to 13 years imprisonment;
       Whereas five Khmer Buddhists were arrested in February 2007 
     for organizing peaceful demonstrations opposing the 
     restriction of language training and ordination ceremonies 
     for Khmer Buddhist monks;
       Whereas Protestants continue to face beatings and other 
     ill-treatment, harassment, fines, threats, and forced 
     renunciations of faith;
       Whereas according to Human Rights Watch, 355 Montagnard 
     Protestants remain in prison, arrested after 2001 and 2004 
     demonstrations for land rights and religious freedom in the 
     Central Highlands;
       Whereas according to the United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom, there are reports that some 
     Montagnard Protestants were imprisoned because of their 
     religious affiliation or activities or because religious 
     leaders failed to inform on members of their religious 
     community who allegedly participated in demonstrations;
       Whereas according to the United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom 2008 Annual Report, religious 
     freedom advocates and human rights defenders Nguyen Van Dai, 
     Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Fr. Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly are in 
     prison under Article 88 of the Criminal Code and Fr. Nguyen 
     Van Loi is being held without official detention orders under 
     house arrest;
       Whereas at least 15 individuals are being detained in long 
     term house arrest for reasons related to their faith, 
     including the most venerable Thich Quang Do and most of the 
     leadership of the UBCV;
       Whereas according to United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom 2008 Annual Report, there are 
     still too many abuses of and restrictions on religious 
     freedom;
       Whereas UBCV monks and youth groups leaders are harassed 
     and detained and charitable activities are denied, Vietnamese 
     officials discriminate against ethnic minority Protestants 
     denying medical, housing, and education benefits to children 
     and families, an ethnic minority Protestant was beaten to 
     death for refusing to recant his faith, over 600 Hmong 
     Protestant churches are refused legal recognition or 
     affiliation, leading to harassment, detentions, and home 
     destructions, and a government handbook on religion instructs 
     government officials to control existing religious practice, 
     halt ``enemy forces'' from ``abusing religion'' to undermine 
     the Vietnamese Government, and ``overcome the extraordinary 
     growth of Protestantism.'';
       Whereas since August 2008, the Vietnamese Government has 
     arrested and sentenced at least eight individuals and beaten, 
     tear-gassed, harassed, publicly slandered, and threatened 
     Catholics engaged in peaceful activities seeking the return 
     of Catholic Church properties confiscated by the Vietnamese 
     Government after 1954 in Hanoi, including in the Thai Ha 
     parish;
       Whereas in September 2008, immediately preceding a visit by 
     Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte, Vietnam arrested 
     five journalists and human rights defenders, including two 
     journalists and bloggers reportedly covering the prayer 
     vigils held by Catholics in Hanoi; and
       Whereas the United States Commission on International 
     Religious Freedom, prominent nongovernmental organizations, 
     and representative associations of Vietnamese-American, 
     Montagnard-American, and Khmer-American organizations have 
     called for the redesignation of Vietnam as a CPC: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) strongly encourages the Department of State to place 
     Vietnam on the list of ``Countries of Particular Concern'' 
     for particularly severe violations of religious freedom;
       (2) strongly condemns the ongoing and egregious violations 
     of religious freedom in Vietnam, including the detention of 
     religious leaders and the long-term imprisonment of 
     individuals engaged in peaceful advocacy; and
       (3) calls on Vietnam to lift restrictions on religious 
     freedom and implement necessary legal and political reforms 
     to protect religious freedom.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days 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 California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and 
yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This resolution calls on the State Department to list the Socialist 
Republic of Vietnam as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' with respect 
to religious freedom.
  I want to thank my colleague, Congressman Ed Royce of California, for 
introducing this important resolution.
  This year marks 15 years since the normalization of diplomatic 
relations between the United States and Vietnam. Bilateral relations 
have deepened in recent years with Hanoi emerging as an important 
partner in ensuring a peaceful and secure Asia-Pacific region.
  We have seen close cooperation on a number of important fronts, 
including regional security and nonproliferation. Unfortunately, the 
lack of progress in the area of protecting basic rights and civil 
liberties enshrined in Vietnam's

[[Page 22213]]

constitution remains an impediment to our bilateral ties.
  Since the Bush administration lifted the ``Country of Particular 
Concern'' designation for Vietnam in November of 2006, freedom of 
religion and expression have come under increasing attack. Hanoi has 
tightened its control of religious organizations with numerous reports 
documenting physical harassment, intimidation, surveillance, seizure of 
church properties, arrests, and other forms of ill treatments made 
against Catholics, Protestants, Khmer Buddhists, and others.
  As Secretary Clinton rightfully noted during her visit to Hanoi this 
October, the United States takes notice of these curbs on religious 
freedom in Vietnam. Two recent events stand out as particularly 
egregious.
  First is the dispute at Bat Nha pagoda last September, when 400 monks 
and nuns were assaulted and forcibly evicted. The majority of these 
monks and nuns have subsequently left Vietnam due to a lack of 
protection by the government.
  More recently, this May, several hundred Vietnamese Catholic 
villagers in Con Dau were attacked by tear gas and bullets, during a 
funeral procession, for refusing to relocate as the government had 
ordered. Several detainees have been held incommunicado since May and 
have not been allowed to visit their families.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and stand up for 
religious freedom in Vietnam.
  I will be handing over the management of this legislation for the 
remainder of the time to the chairman of the Asia and Pacific Islands 
Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Faleomavaega.
  I reserve the remainder of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Tonko). Without objection, the gentleman 
from American Samoa will control the time.
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  2010

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to our very 
good friend and colleague, the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, the author of 
the measure, Mr. Royce of California.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, as author of this resolution, I rise in 
support of House Resolution 20, calling on the State Department to list 
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as a Country of Particular Concern 
with respect to religious freedom.
  I also want to say I appreciate very much the assistance of Chairman 
Berman in bringing this to the House floor, the assistance of Ranking 
Member Ros-Lehtinen, and Mr. Burton, but also the assistance of 
Congressman Joseph Cao in his support and his concern about this issue.
  I would like to share with the Members in this body today that the 
House of Representatives has an opportunity to send a very strong 
message to the Communist government in Vietnam. And that message, if we 
pass this resolution, is that its abuses against peaceful religious 
practitioners of all faiths and all creeds are unacceptable.
  As we reflect for a minute on some of the conditions that those who 
practice their faith have to contend with in Vietnam, you think about 
the 350 Montagnard Christians who remain imprisoned for their beliefs, 
other religious groups like the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the 
Hoa Hao Buddhists, the Cao Dai Buddhists. They face severe persecution 
from the Communist government of Vietnam.
  Recently, residents of Con Dau, Da Nang, have suffered severe 
violence, including beatings with batons, beatings with electric rods 
during a May assault at the hands of Vietnamese government officials. 
And what was the charge? Attempting to protect their historic Catholic 
cemetery from government seizure.
  I met with the Venerable Thich Quang Do in Vietnam. I had several 
conversations with him. He was under house arrest. He has spent the 
last 33 years of his life either in prison or under house arrest.
  I think for a minute about Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh whose picture is 
right here. He has been interrogated more than 300 times, he has been 
beaten over 20 times, and this is a photograph after one of those 
beatings. He is one of the many faces, I would say battered faces, of 
religious freedom in Vietnam.
  In its 2010 annual report, the U.S. Commission on International 
Religious Freedom found as follows:
  ``Vietnam's overall human rights record remains poor and has 
deteriorated.'' They cite police officers and plainclothesmen and the 
Religious Security Police--yes, the Religious Security Police--
routinely harassing and intimidating those who pray outside of 
government-approved religions. They cite beatings with electric batons, 
sexual assault of monks, and confiscation of property and forced 
evictions.
  While the State Department has documented some of these abuses, real 
action is needed. By re-listing Vietnam as a CPC, as this resolution 
instructs, the State Department could bring about real change. In 
addition to the naming and shaming aspect of the report, a wide range 
of sanctions, from limitations on foreign aid to denial of visas for 
those in the government, can be levied on the regimes that carry out 
these abuses. Unfortunately, the Obama administration hasn't used this 
tool. This will make that tool available.
  Some will ask if a CPC redesignation can have any impact. Well, let's 
look at the prior experience on this. After being listed as a CPC in 
2004, Vietnam immediately released several prominent dissidents and 
democracy advocates, and issued ordinances that prohibited the forced 
renunciation of faith. These were concrete results achieved with a CPC 
designation, and more can be achieved with a re-listing of Vietnam. 
Sadly, after Vietnam was permanently removed from the list in 2006, 
religious freedom and tolerance has been on a continuous downward 
slide.
  The Vietnam War is history. We have deepening relations with Vietnam. 
But that fact doesn't mean we should short-change religious liberty. 
Frankly, we know that raising these issues with Hanoi isn't on the top 
of our diplomats' list. They are uncomfortable with raising these human 
rights abuses. But by putting Vietnam on this list, where it belongs, 
we are at least giving promoting religious freedom a chance of being 
part of our policy towards Vietnam.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to put the House on record in support of the 
Vietnamese people and religious freedom in Vietnam. Indeed, the right 
to freely practice your religion is a universal sacred right.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to my very good 
friend from Louisiana (Mr. Cao).
  Mr. CAO. Mr. Speaker, the International Religious Freedom Act, or 
IRFA, requires the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 
to prepare an annual report on the state of religious freedom 
throughout the world. IRFA also provides that any country which commits 
systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom be 
placed on a list of countries of particular concern, or CPC, which 
opens these nations up to economic sanctions by the United States.
  After several years of urging from the U.S. Commission on 
International Religious Freedom, Vietnam was eventually designated a 
Country of Particular Concern in 2004 and 2005, and this designation 
led to modest but unprecedented improvements in the government's 
treatment of worshippers.
  Since 2006, however, the U.S. State Department has declined to 
designate Vietnam as a CPC, and during the ensuing 4 years there have 
been no further significant improvements and even some backtracking in 
the progress made on the ability for those of faith to freely practice 
their religion.
  The October 2009 report of the U.S. Commission on International 
Religious Freedom found:
  ``There continue to be far too many serious abuses and restrictions 
of religious freedom in Vietnam. Individuals

[[Page 22214]]

continue to be imprisoned or detained for reasons related to their 
religious activity or religious freedom advocacy. Police and government 
officials are not held fully accountable for abuses; independent 
religious activity remains illegal; and legal protection for 
government-approved religious organizations are both vague and subject 
to arbitrary or discriminatory interpretation based on political 
factors.''
  ``In addition, improvements experienced by some religious communities 
are not experienced by others, including the Unified Buddhist Church of 
Vietnam, independent Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, and Protestant groups, and some 
ethnic minority Protestants and Buddhists. Also, over the past year 
property disputes between the government and the Catholic Church in 
Hanoi led to detention, threats, harassment, and violence by contract 
thugs against peaceful prayer vigils and religious leaders.''
  There are disturbing reports from the northern highland of public 
officials forcing believers to renounce their faith and documented 
cases in the central highland of religious prisoners being taken. 
Elsewhere, violent actions against Catholics at Tam Toa, Bau Sen, Loan 
Ly, and against Buddhists at Bat Nha and Phuoc Hue seem to have 
increased in frequency and intensity.
  More systematically, property seizure has been used as a means to 
control religious practice. Since the complete takeover of South 
Vietnam in 1975, the Communist government of Vietnam has seized many 
religious institutions and effectively banned their existence. A prime 
example is the complete property seizure of the Unified Buddhist Church 
of Vietnam in 1981, leading to its dissolution. The Unified Buddhist 
Church of Vietnam has been outlawed since, and its religious leaders 
have been constantly harassed. Other religions such as the Hoa Hao 
Buddhist and the Cao Dai have suffered a similar fate.
  Almost as a rule, all land disputes against the Catholic Church in 
Vietnam result in violence. A great number of Catholic institutions in 
North Vietnam have been seized in the 1950s and in South Vietnam since 
the takeover in 1975.

                              {time}  2020

  Parishioners of Thai Ha Church in Hanoi were beaten by police and 
government thugs while attending a prayer vigil for the return of the 
church's properties. They also proceeded to desecrate or destroy 
religious symbols and properties. Those who were perceived to be 
leaders of these protests were arrested. This pattern of abuse has been 
repeated the last few years at parishes, including Dong Chiem and the 
St. Paul of Chartres Monastery in the Diocese of Vinh Long.
  More recently, the government of Da Nang City ordered the Catholic 
town of Con Dau, among surrounding towns, to vacate their homes, 
farmlands, and their historic cemetery to make way for a high-end 
resort to be built by a joint venture with private companies.
  When the people of Con Dau resisted the order, violence broke out 
during the funeral procession of a member of the parish. The police 
seized the casket and cremated the body of the deceased, against her 
last wish. Many members of the funeral procession were beaten, 
arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison on trumped-up charges. 
Others have fled the country and are seeking asylum. Mr. Nguyen Nam, a 
member of the funeral procession, was interrogated numerous times and 
died after severe beatings.
  Mr. Speaker, does anyone in this distinguished Chamber doubt the need 
for us to take action? How can we as a Nation stand by idly while a 
government that we increasingly supported with improved ties over the 
past 15 years commits such atrocities against its own people?
  As a Vietnamese American, I ask for the passage of House Resolution 
20, calling on the State Department to list the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam as a Country of Particular Concern.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to one of the 
great advocates of human rights, not only in Vietnam but around the 
world, a leader on the Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for 
yielding. I want to thank Mr. Royce for this very, very important and 
timely resolution, and both the chairman and ranking member, Chairman 
Berman and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for bringing this very, very important 
resolution to the floor as the session winds down.
  Mr. Speaker, in early July, Nam Nguyen, this is Nam Nguyen right 
here, a Catholic from Con Dau, was savagely beaten to death for his 
faith by the Vietnamese police. His brother, Tai Nguyen, testified at 
an August Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing that police 
repeatedly kicked his brother in the chest and the back and on his 
temples. Of course, that means there are fewer marks on the face, but 
his body was riddled with punches and broken bones.
  ``Blood,'' he said, ``poured out of his nose and ears.'' Tai said his 
brother told his wife he couldn't handle the beatings anymore. The 
wife, seeing her husband's broken body, kneeled in front of the police 
and begged them to stop. In response, they punched and kicked him again 
and again and again, and Nam Nguyen died in his wife's arms, this man 
right here.
  What was Nam Nguyen's alleged crime? His faith in Jesus Christ and 
his devotion to his Catholic parish. The entire Catholic community and 
its property in Con Dau, you see, is in the process of being 
confiscated or stolen by the Vietnamese authorities. The faithful are a 
ripe target for the atheistic Government of Vietnam. The proximate 
cause for the crackdown and unspeakable violence was the May 4 funeral 
of an elderly woman and an attempt to bury her in the town's Catholic 
cemetery.
  Nam Nguyen was a pallbearer when the police busted up the funeral 
procession of over 1,000 people, beating over 100 mourners, arresting 
dozens, and deliberately beating two pregnant women so as to kill their 
unborn babies. They even tried to take the casket. The reign of terror 
on this 85-year-old Catholic community continues to this day. At least 
two remain in prison, and the persecution shows no sign of abating.
  What happened in Con Dau isn't an isolated incident. According to the 
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, its annual 2010 
report, ``Property disputes between the government and the Catholic 
Church continue to lead to harassment, property destruction and 
violence, sometimes by contract thugs hired by the government to break 
up peaceful prayer vigils.'' Now we know that includes funerals as 
well. Other faith communities have seen a significant spike in 
harassment, persecution, confiscation, and violence as well.
  Mr. Speaker, in 2005, I led a human rights mission to Hanoi, Hue and 
Ho Chi Minh City. I met with almost 60 pastors, priests and leading 
Buddhists, including the Venerable Thich Quang Do, who was under pagoda 
arrest. All expressed hope and varying degrees of optimism due to an 
apparent easing of religious persecution in Vietnam.
  U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom John 
Hanford told us that there were promises of further reform made and 
what he called ``deliverables,'' concrete actions by the Vietnamese 
Government that it said it would do in the area of religious freedom, 
coupled with a trade agreement, and all of that led to the lifting of 
the Country of Particular Concern, or CPC, designation.
  Do you know what happened then? Hanoi responded with a massive 
retaliation against both political and religious believers. Signers of 
Bloc 8406, the magnificent human rights manifesto promoting respect for 
the rule of law and nonviolence, a manifesto that parallels China's 
Charter 08 and Czechoslovakia's Charter 77, were hunted down 
methodically and imprisoned. Many religious believers who expected a 
thaw and reform and openness were arrested and in some cases rearrested 
and sent to prison.
  Father Ly, this man here, is a Catholic priest and a prisoner of 
conscience

[[Page 22215]]

for 17 years in jail, a man who committed no crimes. I met Father Ly 
when he was under house arrest in Hue. He was rearrested in 2007, held 
in confinement and denied emergency medical attention. So bad is he 
that even the Vietnamese let him out under kind of a humanitarian 
parole, but he is still under arrest.
  Look at this picture of him taken at trial. Look at the animosity in 
the eyes of these guards. And when they get behind closed doors, Mr. 
Speaker, they beat and they break bones and they break heads, and it 
leads to death or permanent maiming.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Did CPC designation help mitigate religious 
persecution prior to being lifted? It appears so. The U.S. Commission 
on Religious Freedom notes that Hanoi released prisoners, it expanded 
some legal protections for nationally recognized groups, and prohibited 
the policy of forced renunciations, at least in some cases, and 
expanded the zone of toleration.
  Congress, the President, and all of us who espouse fundamental human 
rights ought to be outraged at Vietnam's turn for the worse. We should 
stand with the oppressed, and not the oppressors. President Obama 
should redesignate Vietnam a Country of Particular Concern for its 
egregious violations of human rights. CPC, independently prescribed by 
statute, the International Religious Freedom Act, has in the past and 
can again be a very, very useful tool in promoting religious liberty.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend, the gentleman from 
Indiana, for our co-management of this important legislation, and thank 
my colleagues, Mr. Royce and Mr. Cao and my good friend Mr. Smith, for 
their most eloquent statements concerning this proposed resolution.
  I have no doubt in my mind in terms of the concerns that have been 
expressed by my colleagues, as well as the substance of this proposed 
resolution; but I do have some concerns. While I fully understand the 
concerns reflected in the resolution, which was introduced almost 2 
years ago, it is based on what I believe is information that somewhat 
did not indicate the progress that Vietnam has made over the recent 
years.

                              {time}  2030

  I think if we look at the statement that was made by our current 
Ambassador to Vietnam, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Michael 
Michalak, in his speech that he gave before the Human Rights Day Event 
at the U.S. Embassy and the American Center of Vietnam just this month, 
a couple of weeks ago, ``Another area where over the past 3 years I 
have seen strong improvements is religious freedoms where individuals 
are now largely free to practice their deeply felt convictions. 
Pagodas, churches, temples, and mosques throughout Vietnam are full. 
Improvements include increased religious participation, large-scale 
religious gatherings--some with more than 100,000 participants, growing 
numbers of registered and recognized religious organizations, 
increasing number of new churches and pagodas, and bigger involvement 
of religious groups in charitable activities. President Nguyen Minh 
Triet also met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, and Vietnam and 
the Holy See agreed to a Vatican appointment of a nonresident 
representative for Vietnam as a first step towards the establishment of 
full diplomatic relations.''
  Ambassador Michalak first said, ``However, some significant problems 
remain, including occasional harassment and excessive use of force by 
local government officials against religious groups in some outlying 
locations. Specifically, there were several problematic high-profile 
incidents over the past year, including where the authorities used 
excessive force against Catholic parishioners in land disputes outside 
of Hanoi at Dong Chiem parish and outside of Da Nang at Con Dau parish. 
These incidents called into question Vietnam's commitment to the rule 
of law and hurt Vietnam's otherwise positive image on religious 
freedom. Registration of protestant congregations also remains slow and 
cumbersome in some areas of the country, particularly in the Northwest 
Highlands.''
  Even so, the U.S. Department of State has not found that these 
incidents rise to the level of listing Vietnam as a country of 
particular concern, and I am confident that while recognizing and 
understanding the concerns reflected by the resolution and the 
testimony of my colleagues, the State Department will make a 
determination on CPC designation in keeping with the statutory 
requirements of the International Religious Freedom Act rather than in 
some responsive consideration in terms of what we are trying to do here 
this evening.
  Despite isolated incidents which all of us oppose, Vietnam is a 
multireligious country with all major religions present, including 
Buddhism, Christianity, Protestantism, and Islam. Vietnam boasts the 
second largest Christian population in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has 
approximately 22.3 million religious followers, accounting for one-
fifth of the population, and over 25,000 religious worship 
establishments.
  According to the Vietnamese Government, so far the government has 
recognized 15 new religious organizations, including seven Protestant 
denominations, making the total of recognized religions 32. The state 
has assisted in the publication of the Bible in four ethnic minority 
languages, including Bana, Ede, Giarai, and H'Mong, and facilitated the 
construction and reconstruction of over 150 religious establishments.
  Vietnam has four Buddhist Academies, 32 Buddhist schools, hundreds of 
classes on Buddhism, six grand seminaries, and one Protestant seminary. 
1,177 religious leaders are actively participating in social 
management.
  The Vietnam Episcopal Council officials attended the ad limina at the 
Vatican. Thousands of Catholic followers in Vietnam joined a range of 
activities to celebrate the 2010 Jubilee Year, including 300 years of 
the presence of Catholicism and 50 years of the establishment of 
Catholic hierarchy in the country. In June, Vietnam and the Vatican 
agreed to promote the process of establishing diplomatic relations, and 
the Pope agreed to appoint a nonresident representative of the Holy See 
for Vietnam.
  The training and education of religious dignitaries and priests have 
been maintained and expanded. Throughout the country, there are around 
17,000 seminarians, and Buddhist monks and nuns are enrolled in 
religious training courses. Vietnam has four Buddhist academies, of 
which the scale and training quality are being raised. Thousands of 
Buddhist nuns and monks also gathered for the great Buddhist Festival 
that marks the 1000th anniversary of the Thang Long-Hanoi from July 27 
to August 2, and Vietnam is actively preparing for the Summit of World 
Buddhism at the end of this year.
  In February of last year, the improvement of religious freedom in 
Vietnam was acknowledged by the Vatican Under Secretary of State, 
Monsignor Pietro Parolin, the Pope's Envoy, during his visit to Vietnam 
more than a month after House Resolution 20 was drafted and introduced. 
While I am no expert on Catholic relations with the Vietnamese 
Government, I do believe we should seriously consider Monsignor 
Parolin's views, since he is in a better position to speak for and on 
behalf of the Catholic Church, in my humble opinion.
  For example, it is my understanding that some of the claims, again, 
of my friends of the resolution about the Catholic Church stem from 
land disputes and not necessarily religious disputes at all. 
Regardless, the Catholic Church is moving forward in establishing 
better relations with Vietnam.
  If one were to single out the U.S. Government's mishandling of the 
Waco siege in 1993, we might find ourselves at the receiving end of 
this resolution if other countries had chosen to take us to task when 
the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,

[[Page 22216]]

and Explosives failed to execute a search warrant at the Branch 
Davidian Ranch in Mount Carmel, located 9 miles east-northeast of Waco, 
Texas, at which time the siege was initiated by the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, which ended 50 days later with the death of 76 people, 
including more than 20 children.
  This said, Mr. Speaker, Vietnam recognizes that it has work to do, 
and Vietnam is trying to improve its record on all fronts.
  Last month, I was in Hanoi, where I met with His Excellency Mr. 
Nguyen Van Son, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, National 
Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and His Excellency Mr. 
Ngo Quang Xuan, vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the 
National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. We had serious 
discussions about religious freedom, and I can assure my colleagues 
that there is a strong commitment on the part of the Vietnamese 
Government to respect and facilitate religious freedom, and the central 
government is working with the local government to bring about this 
change.
  Having visited Vietnam five times, Mr. Speaker, during my tenure as 
chairman of this subcommittee, I have also personally worshipped in 
Catholic parishes with local Vietnamese and, in the case of my own 
church, I can verify that the Government of Vietnam has been very 
supportive of the LDS Church as it seeks to establish official 
recognition in accordance with the laws of that country.
  As a member of the LDS Church, I am always reluctant to oppose any 
resolution dealing with religious freedom because the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only religion, Mr. Speaker, the only 
church in the United States against which an extermination order was 
issued sanctioning mass removal or extermination against American 
citizens. The extermination order was a military order signed by then 
Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs on October 27, 1838, directing that 
the Mormons be driven from the State or be exterminated.
  On June 25, 1976, after some 138 years, Governor Christopher Bond, 
who is now a U.S. Senator, issued an executive order rescinding the 
extermination order, recognizing its legal invalidity and formally 
apologizing on behalf of the people of the State of Missouri for the 
suffering it had caused the Latter-Day Saints. I thank Senator Bond for 
this.
  Knowing the history of the LDS Church and the short-term and long-
term consequences that the forced exile of over 10,000 Latter-Day 
Saints--all United States citizens--had on those before and yet to 
come, I am firmly rooted in the belief that each of us should be 
allowed to claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to 
the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same 
privilege. Let them worship how, where, or what they may.
  So while I agree in principle in speaking up for religious freedom, 
Mr. Speaker, and I do with utmost respect, my colleagues and those who 
worked so hard in bringing this resolution to the floor--this year we 
are celebrating 15 years of diplomatic relations with Vietnam. As one 
who served during the Vietnam War at the height of the Tet Offensive, I 
know we have come a long way, and I sincerely hope that we ought to 
continue making this a better effort to establish good relations with 
this country.
  On the matter of human rights, I hope we will also consider that the 
U.S. cannot assume, Mr. Speaker, the moral high ground when it comes to 
Vietnam.

                              {time}  2040

  What I mean by this is, from 1961 to 1971, the United States 
Government's military sprayed more than 11 million gallons of Agent 
Orange in Vietnam, subjecting millions of innocent civilians to dioxin, 
which is a toxin known to be one of the deadliest chemicals ever made 
by man. Despite the suffering that has occurred ever since, there seems 
to be no real interest on the part of our government to clean up the 
mess that we left behind.
  I believe we can and should do better. For this reason, Mr. Speaker, 
I reluctantly oppose the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, with reluctance, I rise today in opposition to H. Res. 
20, calling on the State Department to list the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' with respect to 
religious freedom.
  While I fully understand the concerns reflected in H. Res. 20, this 
Resolution, which was introduced almost two years ago on January 6, 
2009, is based on out-dated information that is not representative of 
Vietnam's progress.
  Also, a nearly identical provision, which was also flawed, already 
passed the House as part of H.R. 2410, the Foreign Relations 
Authorization Act, which begs the question--why are we doing this 
again?
  The passage of resolutions has real-world consequences and impacts 
our relations with other countries. At a minimum, we should give 
thoughtful consideration to best ways forward and channel resolutions 
through the subcommittees of jurisdiction so that agreements on 
language can be reached before we take up these measures on the House 
floor.
  Regrettably, this was not the case with this resolution. The 
Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, which has 
broad jurisdiction for U.S. policy affecting the region, was bypassed 
for the sake of maintaining a 2-1 ratio of majority to minority 
suspensions, and our own U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, the Honorable 
Michael W. Michalak, was not consulted. While I realize that we 
represent separate branches of government, I believe Ambassador 
Michalak is in a better position than any of us to know where Vietnam 
stands in its progress regarding religious freedom.
  Ambassador Michalak, in his remarks at the Human Rights Day Event 
held at the U.S. Embassy and American Center in Vietnam on December 9, 
2010, stated:

       Another area where over the past three years I have seen 
     strong improvements is religious freedom where individuals 
     are now largely free to practice their deeply felt 
     convictions. Pagodas, churches, temples and mosques 
     throughout Vietnam are full. Improvements include increased 
     religious participation, large-scale religious gatherings--
     some with more than 100,000 participants, growing numbers of 
     registered and recognized religious organizations, increasing 
     number of new churches and pagodas, and bigger involvement of 
     religious groups in charitable activities. President Nguyen 
     Minh Triet also met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, 
     and Vietnam and the Holy See agreed to a Vatican appointment 
     of a non-resident Representative for Vietnam as a first step 
     toward the establishment of full diplomatic relations.

  Ambassador Michalak also expressed some concerns, which I also share. 
He stated:

       However, some significant problems remain including 
     occasional harassment and excessive use of force by local 
     government officials against religious groups in some 
     outlying locations. Specifically, there were several 
     problematic high-profile incidents over the past year 
     including where the authorities used excessive force against 
     Catholic parishioners in land disputes outside of Hanoi at 
     Dong Chiem parish and outside of Danang at Con Dau parish. 
     These incidents call into question Vietnam's commitment to 
     the rule of law and hurt Vietnam's otherwise positive image 
     on religious freedom. Registration of Protestant 
     congregations also remains slow and cumbersome in some areas 
     of the country, particularly in the Northwest Highlands.

  Even so, the U.S. Department of State has not found that these 
incidents rise to the level of listing Vietnam as Country of Particular 
Concern and I am confident that while recognizing and understanding the 
concerns reflected in the Resolution, the State Department will make a 
determination on CPC designation in keeping with the statutory 
requirements of the International Religious Freedom Act rather than in 
response to consideration, or passage, of this Resolution by the U.S. 
House of Representatives.
  Despite isolated incidents which all of us oppose, Vietnam is a 
multi-religion country with all major religions present including 
Buddhism, Christianity, Protestantism and Islam. Vietnam boasts the 
second largest Christian population in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has 
approximately 22.3 million religious followers, accounting for one 
fifth of the population and over 25,000 religious worship 
establishments.
  According to Vietnam, so far the government has recognized 15 new 
religious organizations including 7 Protestant denominations, making 
the total of recognized religions 32. The State has assisted the 
publication of the Bible in 4 ethnic minority languages including Bana, 
Ede, Giarai and H'Mong, and facilitated the construction and 
reconstruction of over 1,500 religious establishments.
  Vietnam has 4 Buddhist Academies, 32 Buddhist schools, hundreds of 
classes on

[[Page 22217]]

Buddhism, 6 grand seminaries and one Protectionist Seminary. 1,177 
religious leaders are actively participating in social management.
  Vietnam Episcopal Council officials attended Ad-limina at the 
Vatican. Thousands of Catholic followers in Vietnam joined a range of 
activities to celebrate the 2010 Jubilee Year including 300 years of 
the presence of Catholicism and 50 years of the establishment of 
Catholic hierarchy in the country. In June, Vietnam and the Vatican 
agreed to promote the process of establishing diplomatic relations and 
the Pope agreed to appoint a ``non-resident representative'' of the 
Holy See for Vietnam.
  The training and education of religious dignitaries and priests have 
been maintained and expanded. Throughout the country, there are around 
17,000 seminarians and Buddhist monks and nuns are enrolled in 
religious training courses. The Vietnam Buddhist has 4 Buddhist 
Academies, of which the scale and training quality are being raised.
  Thousands of Buddhist nuns and monks also gathered for the Great 
Buddhist Festival to mark the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi 
from July 27 to August 2, and Vietnam is actively preparing for the 
Summit of World Buddhism at the end of the year 2010.
  In February 2009, the improvement of religious freedom in Vietnam was 
acknowledged by Vatican Undersecretary of State Monsignor Pietro 
Parolin, the Pope's Envoy, during his visit to Vietnam, more than a 
month after H. Res. 20 was drafted and introduced. While I am no expert 
on Catholic relations with the Vietnamese government, I do believe we 
should seriously consider Monsignor Parolin's views since he is better 
positioned to speak for and on behalf of the Catholic Church rather 
than Members of Congress whose information from third parties may be 
distorted. For example, it is my understanding that some of the claims 
laid out in H. Res. 20 about the Catholic Church stem from land 
disputes and not religious disputes at all.
  Regardless, the Catholic Church is moving forward in establishing 
better relations with Vietnam, as are the Buddhists, although H. Res. 
20 also mischaracterizes Vietnam's relationship with the Buddhists by 
singling out isolated incidents. If one were to single out the U.S. 
government's mishandling of the Waco Siege in 1993, we might find 
ourselves at the receiving end of a resolution like H. Res. 20 if other 
countries had chosen to take us to task when the United States Bureau 
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) failed to execute a 
search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, located 
nine miles east-northeast of Waco, Texas, at which time a siege was 
initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation which ended 50 days 
later with the death of 76 people, including more than 20 children.
  This said, Vietnam recognizes it has work to do, and Vietnam is 
trying to improve its record on all fronts. Last month, I was in Hanoi 
where I met with H.E. Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of the Foreign 
Affairs Committee, National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Viet 
Nam, and H.E. Mr. Ngo Quang Xuan, Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. We 
had serious discussions about religious freedom and I can assure my 
colleagues that there is a strong commitment on the part of the 
Vietnamese Government to respect and facilitate religious freedom, and 
the central government is working with the local government to bring 
about change.
  Having visited Vietnam five times during my tenure as Chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, I have 
also personally worshipped in parishes with local Vietnamese and, in 
the case of my own Church, I can verify that the Government of Viet Nam 
has been very supportive of efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints as it seeks to establish official recognition in 
accordance with the laws of the land.
  As a Member of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), 
I am always reluctant to oppose any resolution dealing with religious 
freedom because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the 
only religion in the United States against which an Extermination Order 
was issued sanctioning mass removal or death against American citizens. 
The Extermination Order was a military order signed by Missouri 
Governor Lilburn W. Boggs on October 27, 1838 directing that the 
Mormons be driven from the state or exterminated.
  On June 25, 1976, after some 138 years, Governor Christopher S. Bond, 
who is now a U.S. Senator, issued an executive order rescinding the 
Extermination Order, recognizing its legal invalidity and formally 
apologizing on behalf of the state of Missouri for the suffering it had 
caused the Latter-day Saints, and I thank Senator Bond for this.
  Knowing the history of the LDS Church and the short-term and long-
term consequences this forced exile of over 10,000 Later-day Saints had 
on those before and yet to come, I am firmly rooted in the belief that 
each of us should be allowed to claim the privilege of worshipping 
Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow 
all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they 
may.
  So, while I agree in principle with speaking up for religious freedom 
and respect my colleagues who authored, co-sponsored, and who will vote 
in favor of this resolution, in the case of H. Res. 20, I must oppose. 
This year, the U.S. celebrated 15 years of diplomatic relations with 
Vietnam. As one who served during the Vietnam War at the height of the 
Tet Offensive, I know we've come a long way and that resolutions like 
this don't serve to move us forward but may have the opposite effect 
when we fail to acknowledge sincere and measurable progress.
  On the matter of human rights, I hope we will also consider that the 
U.S. cannot assume the moral high ground when it comes to Vietnam. From 
1961 to 1971, the U.S. sprayed more than 11 million gallons of Agent 
Orange in Vietnam, subjecting millions of innocent civilians to 
dioxin--a toxin known to be one of the deadliest chemicals made by man. 
Despite the suffering that has occurred ever since, there seems to be 
no real interest on the part of the U.S. to clean up the mess we left 
behind. Instead, we spend our time offering up resolutions like this 
which fail to make anything right. I believe we can and should do 
better and this is why I oppose H. Res. 20.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my 
support for H. Res. 20, calling on the State Department to list the 
Socialist Republic of Vietnam as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' 
with respect to religious freedom.
  The State Department removed Vietnam from the CPC list in 2006, and 
since then, the human rights situation in that country has deteriorated 
significantly. After a brief improvement while Vietnam was seeking 
membership in the World Trade Organization, the Vietnamese government 
returned to its former ways--intimidation and repression of basic human 
freedoms. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious 
Freedom's (USCIRF) recently released annual report, ``The government of 
Vietnam continues to control government-approved religious communities, 
severely restrict independent religious practice, and repress 
individuals and groups viewed as challenging political authority.''
  Vietnam remains a severe violator of religious freedoms, and the CPC 
designation is a potentially powerful tool that should be used to 
highlight this shortcoming and encourage action. USCIRF has recommended 
CPC status for Vietnam every year since 2001, and continues to do so 
this year, advising that ``[g]iven these ongoing and serious 
violations, the uneven pace of religious freedom progress after the CPC 
designation was lifted, the continued detention of prisoners of 
concern, and new evidence of severe religious freedom abuses, USCIRF 
again recommends that Vietnam be designated as a CPC in 2010.''
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I strongly urge 
the State Department to follow the advice of the Commission and 
redesignate Vietnam as a Country of Particular Concern.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. May I inquire of the Chair how much time we 
have on each side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Indiana has 3 minutes 
remaining. The gentleman from American Samoa has 5\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. At this time, I yield 1 additional minute to 
my colleague from California (Mr. Royce).
  Mr. ROYCE. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 
has one job, and that is to monitor religious freedom around the world. 
The conclusion they have come to is that the situation is so egregious 
in Vietnam today that that government needs to be put back on the 
Country of Particular Concern list now.
  What they cite as the reason, as the rationale, is that, over the 
past 2 years, those speaking out against restrictions on religious 
freedom and human rights continue to be arrested; they continue to be 
detained. Over the past year, they have said violence by contract thugs 
against peaceful prayer vigils and religious leaders continues. As a 
matter of fact, they cite it is accelerating.

[[Page 22218]]

  We are not talking about deaths that occurred in 1838 right now. My 
colleagues and I are talking about what happened 2 months ago in terms 
of people losing their lives in Vietnam because they are speaking out 
for religious freedom.
  Lastly, in terms of what was shared with me by the Venerable Thich 
Quang Do, he said, They are not allowing us to practice our Buddhist 
faith. The Communist government is trying to change the faith. That is 
why we are speaking out.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to say for the record and to make absolutely 
clear that in no way do I have any disagreements with the concerns and 
the statements made by my colleagues and of their honest opinions and 
assessments as to the situation of religious freedom in Vietnam.
  I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. May I make an inquiry of my colleague, Mr. 
Speaker.
  Do you have any time you would like to yield to our side?
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. In the spirit of democracy and bipartisanship, I 
would glad to yield 1 minute to my colleague from Indiana.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I will let 
Mr. Smith of New Jersey take that 1 minute and I thank him for his 
generosity.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, worldwide, Communist dictatorships either crush or seek 
to control religious organizations. I have seen this in my 30 years as 
a Member of Congress.
  I remember in the early 1980s how the Romanian apologists, as MSM was 
coming up for renewal every year, would rush over and meet with Members 
of Congress. They would have very slick talking points about the number 
of churches and about the number of believers in Romania. All the 
while, people were suffering in the prisons, or the gulags, people who 
happened to be pastors or believers; and it was all part of a 
disinformation campaign.
  I would say to my colleagues that Vietnam uses the exact same tactic. 
They will give you numbers. They will give you some fact sheets; but if 
you are a believer who is not under the control of that dictatorship 
and if you happen to be part of the Unified Buddhist Church, like the 
Venerable Thich Quang Do, and not the church or the unified or the 
Buddhist temples that are under the control of the government, watch 
out. They will be knocking on your door. You will either be under 
pagoda arrest or find yourself in prison. The same goes for the 
monsignors and the others who are evangelicals who are finding 
themselves being severely repressed in Vietnam.
  Members really have to back this resolution.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. As I understand it, Mr. Speaker, I have 2 
minutes remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. That is correct.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I am happy to yield 1 minute to my good friend 
from Louisiana (Mr. Cao).
  Mr. CAO. Thank you very much.
  In this recent trip to Vietnam that I made with Chairman 
Faleomavaega, I happened to visit my sister in the outskirts of Saigon. 
I was there for about 15 minutes. As soon as I left, guess who showed 
up? The police. The police showed up and interrogated my brother-in-
law. They asked him why we were there, how many people were there, what 
did we talk about.
  Now, if they were to do that to a family member of a U.S. 
Congressman, what would they do to the normal Vietnamese citizen in 
Vietnam?
  There are no protections whatsoever. There is a difference between 
practicing your religion and practicing your faith. In practicing 
religion, you can go in there and pray, which is good; but practicing 
faith is when you have to advocate for people's rights to worship, for 
people's rights to defend their families, to defend their property, and 
to defend their faiths and their views. In that regard, the Vietnamese 
Government has been lacking in every aspect.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment and thank my colleague from 
Louisiana. In fact, it was a high privilege and honor for me to be part 
of our congressional delegation that visited Vietnam.
  There were some very serious issues about even allowing my colleague 
from Louisiana to come with us because, as we all know, this government 
is not a democracy. It is still a Communist country, controlled by a 
party structure very different from ours.
  What I did insist on of the officials of the Vietnamese Government 
was that, if my friend Congressman Cao was not going to come with me, 
then I wasn't going to go to Vietnam, and they did accede to our 
request. I think it was a real educational experience, even for the 
Vietnamese officials, to see that my good friend Congressman Cao was 
not a bad guy after all. I tried to stress the fact that, although we 
may belong to two separate political parties with different beliefs and 
understandings, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't continue to be 
friends.
  In the aftermath of our visit to Vietnam, more than anything, I would 
say that the officials of the Vietnamese Government were very impressed 
by my good friend Congressman Cao--the first Vietnamese American ever 
elected to this sacred body, as a Member of this great institution. I 
am very proud as a fellow American to tell the 90-some million 
Vietnamese people out there that this is what America is all about, 
that only in America is someone of Congressman Cao's caliber able to be 
elected as a Member of this body.
  With that, I want to say that I am very, very happy to see him, and I 
wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would just like to 
say that I think it has been proven conclusively by my colleagues here 
speaking tonight that Christians, Buddhists and Catholics have been 
prodded with electric prods; they have been beaten; they have been 
gagged; and they have been mistreated.
  There is a very strong concern among many of us in Congress that the 
CPC designation should be reimposed. If the State Department says that 
Hanoi in Vietnam has turned a corner, the corner that it has turned is 
down a very dark alley, and we need to enlighten that to let the 
Vietnamese people know that we stand with them for religious freedom.
  I rise in vigorous support of this resolution which reiterates the 
call of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 
that Vietnam be re-designated as a Country of Particular Concern, CPC.
  The State Department, when it lifted the CPC designation for Vietnam, 
largely for commercial reasons, stated that Hanoi had ``turned a 
corner.''
  Well, as the facts listed in this resolution amply demonstrate, a 
corner was indeed turned when it comes to religious freedom in Vietnam 
and we then ended up in a grim, dark alley.
  This is the dark alley where the Vietnamese regime's security 
officers gagged prominent advocate for religious freedom Father Ly 
(LEE) during his trial, a mere four months after the State Department 
claimed Vietnam had supposedly turned a corner.
  This is the dark alley from which agents sprang to detain a Norwegian 
citizen outside a Buddhist monastery where she had gone to present a 
prestigious human rights award.
  This is the dark alley of the Communist regime in Vietnam where 
guests of a Congressional delegation, invited by the United States 
Ambassador to discuss human rights and religious freedom, were blocked 
from entering his residence by armed Vietnamese police.
  This is the dark alley where Protestants have been beaten and 
Buddhist monks have been harassed and detained.
  This is the dark alley where members of a Catholic funeral procession 
last spring were beaten with batons and tortured with electric rods.
  Can the State Department continue to credibly claim that the 
Vietnamese regime has

[[Page 22219]]

turned a corner on religious freedom and is on a positive trend?
  If so, would State Department diplomats be willing to walk the walk 
with Vietnamese monks and priests around that corner to confront what 
lurks in the shadows beyond?
  The facts more than justify Vietnam's re-designation as a country of 
particular concern with regard to religious freedom.
  The Vietnamese regime must be held accountable for its fundamental 
violations of religious rights.
  The Vietnamese people need to know that the U.S. stands with them and 
unequivocally supports and defends their right to exercise their 
religious freedoms unimpeded.
  This resolution is long overdue.
  I urge my colleagues to offer their vigorous support.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I thank the gentleman from Indiana and, Mr. 
Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 20, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground 
that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum 
is not present.
  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.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________