[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5298]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 41ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF SAIGON

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, today I join the 
Vietnamese American community across this Nation and actually around 
the world to commemorate the 41st anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
  We must remember our fallen soldiers, American veterans, and our 
South Vietnamese allies who fought and died in the name of freedom and 
democracy.
  Unfortunately, the Government of Vietnam continues to crack down on 
its citizens by using article 79 of the Vietnamese penal code, which 
prohibits political pluralism or prohibits associating with pro-
democracy parties.
  Last week I met with Ms. Vu Minh Khanh, the wife of prominent 
Vietnamese political prisoner, Mr. Nguyen Van Dai. Mr. Nguyen is 
currently being detained by the Vietnamese Government after being 
severely beaten for peacefully expressing his views on democracy.
  As President Obama prepares to visit Vietnam, I urge the President to 
make human rights a key priority, and I strongly urge the President to 
call for the release of human rights activist Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and 
Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly.
  It is time--it is time for the United States to take a strong and 
principled stand against Vietnam's ongoing human rights violations.

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