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Hundreds of Vietnamese
Americans got together nearly the whole week from August 19 to 23 for
demonstration in support of Bill HR-2833, also known as the Vietnam Human
Rights Act. The principal clauses of the bill tie all U.S. aids to Vietnam -
except for humanitarian aid – with its human rights records.
In
September 2001, the House of Representatives passed the bill with 410-1 votes.
However, the bill was then held from going to be discussed and voted on the
Senate floor by Senator John Kerry, D-Mass. Kerry and his supporters against
the bill argued that such a law will be detrimental to the betterment of human
rights and the enhance of relations between Hanoi and Washington.
The
overseas Vietnamese, particularly Vietnamese Americans refuted all statements
that under the Vietnam Communist Party and its government, human rights and
religious freedom have been better during the last decade. They don't think
Kerry is going the right way to help the Vietnamese people or to promote the
Americans' interests.
The
Vietnamese democracy activists are saying that there has been no sign of
progress on human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam. Vietnam Communist
Party (VCP) rulers should have acted with smooth hands on their compatriots at
least when they are asking for economic favor and aids from the American
government. But they don't.
Since
the House passed Bill HR-2833, Hanoi has continued cracking down on those who
speak for democracy or freedom, accusing them of violating the Criminal Code.
Most political prisoners were peaceful activists but Hanoi imprisoned them as
criminals under the charges of acting to overthrow the regime, or disclosure of
state secrets (A letter of critics without any classified information could be
taken for state secrets by Public Security). But the Hanoi spokeswoman always
affirms, "We don't have any political prisoner."
Actually,
religion believers in cities and small towns are free to worship and to attend
services and praying without being intervened. But sermons, service time and
all other religious activities are under strict control of local authorities,
especially in the remote countryside and highlands areas. The Communist rulers
are still holding absolute power to train, to ordain and to appoint the clergy. Many dozen Catholic priests, Buddhist monks,
Hoa Hao and Cao Dai preachers, Protestant pastors are still in jail.
Human
rights latest reports by the U.S. State Department (March 2002) and Human
Rights Watch (April 2002) strongly criticize Hanoi's infringement on human
rights and religious freedom. The reports are convincible enough to those who
disregard the American prestige and the truly better life for 80 million
Vietnamese to think it over.
Thousands of Vietnamese Americans have sent letters to
Sen. Kerry and other Senators urging them to have the bill debated and voted on
the Senate floor. They believe that economic engagement alone does not guarantee
progress on human rights or rule of law.
Since the U.S. Congress ratified the Bilateral Trade Agreement, the
Vietnamese communist authorities continue to crack down on political
expression, religious practice and free speech.
Continuous persecution shows Hanoi's defiance of American and world
moderate efforts to improve global human rights. VCP leaders' basic strategy in
dealing with domestic and foreign affairs is to show obstinacy with which they
believe that the impatient opposing side will give in.
September 2001, as the U.S. Congress was debating the
Bilateral Trade Agreement, Hanoi launched a major sweep against prominent
dissidents for proposing a citizens' private anti-corruption association.
In October 2001, two days after President Bush signed the BTA,
Communist authorities sentenced Father Nguyen Van Ly to 15 years in prison for
making peaceful calls for religious freedom at a one-hour summary trial.
On January 8, 2002, Hanoi City Public Security Department arrested the
47-year-old veteran Nguyen Khac Toan after he publicly voiced his supports of
the scores of farmers from the South. They were participants of a peaceful
rally in Hanoi demanding protection of their rights to the farming land. So far
his family has not been allowed to visit him.
In January 2002, authorities ordered the seizure and destruction of
books and placed a well-known journalist, Bui Minh Quoc, under house arrest.
And in February 21, 2002, Public Security arrested Le Chi Quang, a young
attorney who was the first to expose illegal concessions made by Hanoi
Communist leaders to China in secret border accords.
According to the New York-based Committee of Protection for Journalists
o August 15, Hanoi authorities informed Le Chi Quang's mother that he would be
tried by a criminal court under the charge of "distributing
anti-government materials." Time and location of the trial are not known.
Meanwhile, the two decrees which have long been criticized fiercely by
international human rights groups are still in effect and there is no sign that
Hanoi will modify or revoke them. Decree on administrative detainment
(Directive 31/CP) lets security officials detain individuals for unlimited
two-year terms without charges.
As to state monopoly over religion, a decree on religious activities
(Directive 26/CP) monopolizes worship in government-controlled bodies and
punishes those who try to practice religion free of official control
Most Vietnamese Americans hold that the United States government should not
squander its taxpayers' dollars to support VCP tyranny for nothing. Such
improper use of the Americans' dollars is an unconditional surrender of
Americans' moral and material interests to a relentless, oppressive regime.
Besides, they think that the Senate should pay due respects to the 490
Representatives who voted for Bill HR-2833.
The rally of
Vietnamese Americans for supporting the approval of the Vietnam Human Rights
Act HR-2833 was reported on the Massachusetts major newspapers Boston Globe,
Boston Herald and Boston Metro.
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