PRESS RELEASE

Vietnamese heritage and freedom flag to fly again in Sundre, Alberta

Last night, by a 5-1 vote, Sundre Town Council reversed a decision made on May 14 to take down the yellow flag of the former Republic of Vietnam following a complaint from an unidentified individual.

"This means the flag will be flying again," Mayor Roy Cummings said following Monday's vote. "I don't think politics should be a part of this. I think this is simply a means and a way to recognize the heritage of the people that lived in our community", quoted the Calgary Herald in an article dated August 28, 2007, entitled “Vietnamese flag to fly high again”, by reporter Dan Singleton.

Originally scheduled for a vote on August 7, this issue was delayed until last night for a full council meeting.  A group of about 50 Vietnamese Canadians from Calgary, Edmonton, and elsewhere in Alberta came to Sundre to attend Monday's town council meeting, according to the Calgary Herald article.  "We feel very happy and we really appreciate the people of Sundre for what they have done for us," the article quoted Nam Tran, a Calgary resident who lived in Sundre for seven years after coming to Canada from Vietnam in 1980, and who presented the original flag to Sundre Town Council on October 11, 1984.

Last month, after being informed of the town’s decision to take down the flag, the Vietnamese Canadian Federation wrote to Mayor Cummings and Sundre councillors to provide them with   background information on this flag, and worked together with the Vietnamese community in Calgary to launch a worldwide campaign to urge the town council to reverse its decision.   

The Vietnamese Canadian Federation is grateful for the support shown by thousands of people in Canada, the U.S., Australia, Europe, and other countries in this campaign. On behalf of its supporters, the Federation would like to express its deep appreciation to the Sundre’s Town Council for its heartfelt and commendable decision. Thanks to this decision, the Heritage and Freedom flag cherished by millions of Vietnamese all over the world will continue to fly in Canada as a beacon for democracy and freedom, which, we all hope, will eventually come back to Vietnam.    

The Vietnamese Canadian Federation is the non-profit umbrella organization of the Vietnamese community in Canada.   Established in 1980, it currently has 12 chapters in all major cities from coast to coast.   Its national office is located in Ottawa.

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Date of release: August 28, 2007