Dr. Ngai Nguyen, the Vice General Secretary of the Democratic Party of Vietnam, (DPV) today expressed his thanks and gratitude to the United States Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, for working tirelessly to secure the release of Mr. Charlie Ly. According to Dr. Nguyen, “without the intervention of the U.S. Government and our Department of State, and particularly our Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Michalak and Consul General Ken Fairfax, I am afraid to think what might have happened to Charlie Ly while being held in Vietnam.” After the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. was advised by the Democratic Party of Vietnam of Mr. Ly’s confinement, the State Department contacted the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, which talked with the government of Vietnam. After several days of discussions, two U.S. officers escorted Mr. Ly to the airport yesterday in HCMC for his flight back to the United States. Charlie Ly arrived in New York City Thursday night and was greeted by his family and hundreds of friends from the Vietnamese-American community. Mr. Ly thanked everyone for their prayers, thoughts and support during this difficult period. For background, on July 24, as Mr. Ly was preparing to depart HCMC for his home in Philadelphia, the government of Vietnam confiscated his American passport, placed him under house arrest in his hotel, and interrogated him for many hours daily during these last three weeks. The Vietnamese government said he would only be allowed to leave the country if he agreed to two provisions: 1. he must admit that he went to Vietnam for the specific purpose of visiting a member of the Democratic Party of Vietnam, who was just released from a Vietnamese jail and 2. upon arrival back in the United States, that he would not engage in political activities against the government of Vietnam. Mr. Ly advised the Vietnam government that he would not sign their “confession,” so, since July 24, he had not been allowed to leave his hotel, nor depart the country. The Mission of the Democratic Party of Vietnam is, through peaceful means, to secure democracy, human rights and free and fair elections in Vietnam. Ngai Nguyen, Vice General Secretary Member of the Standing Central Committee Democratic Party of Vietnam # # # # # CONTACT: Dr. Ngai Nguyen 1-408-603-5030 ngainguyen@aol.com   more »

Kính thưa liệt quý Vị, Thời gian qua, Phòng Thông tin Phật giáo Quốc tế có chuyển về Viện chúng tôi những Thư Phân ưu mà quý vị Nhân sĩ, Lãnh đạo Tôn giáo, Đại diện các Đoàn thể và Đồng bào các giới ngỏ lời chia buồn Giáo hội chúng tôi sau khi Đức cố Đệ tứ Tăng thống Thích Huyền Quang viên tịch. Chúng tôi chân thành tri ân liệt quý Vị quan tâm nhớ tưởng. Chúng tôi hiểu rằng ngoài sự chia buồn trước mất mát lớn của Giáo hội chúng tôi, liệt quý Vị còn muốn chia sẻ mối quan tâm đối với ước vọng của Đức cố Tăng thống Thích Huyền Quang trước hiện tình đất nước, con người Việt và đời sống tâm linh của dân tộc đang bị uy hiếp. Một ước vọng đã biến thành hành động qua suốt cuộc đời Ngài, rõ nhất là 33 năm qua, mà giờ đây Giáo hội chúng tôi có bổn phận kế thừa thực hiện để báo đền công đức của Ngài. Nhân danh Ban Chỉ đạo Viện Hóa Đạo và Hội đồng Lưỡng Viện Giáo hội Phật giáo Việt Nam Thống nhất, tôi xin gửi lời cảm tạ đến quý liệt vị đã có lời phân ưu. Lẽ ra thư cảm tạ phải gửi sớm hơn. Nhưng vì tôi vừa về lại Saigon sau mấy tuần lễ lo tang lễ cùng Phật sự của Giáo hội. Kính mong quý vị thông cảm. Thanh Minh Thiền viện, Saigon ngày 6.8.2008 TM. Hội đồng Lưỡing Viện GHPGVNTN Viện trưởng Viện Hóa Đạo, (ấn ký) Sa môn Thích Quảng Độ   more »

Writers Banned, Censored, Harassed, and Jailed (New York, July 22, 2008) – Eight Vietnamese writers are among a diverse group of 34 writers from 19 countries to receive Hellman/Hammett awards this year in recognition of the courage they showed when facing political persecution, Human Rights Watch said today. The Hellman/Hammett awards, administered by Human Rights Watch, are given annually to writers around the world who have been targets of political persecution or human rights abuses. UPDATE: Announcement is included in Vietnamese language courtesy Human Rights Watch.    more »

OPINION The Life and Times of Thich Huyen Quang By VO VAN AI FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA July 14, 2008 Thich Huyen Quang, 87, patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, died in Vietnam on July 5 at the Nguyen Thieu Monastery in Binh Dinh. One of Vietnam's most beloved and esteemed spiritual leaders, Quang was also a proponent of religious freedom and human rights in a country where both are in short supply. His life and death illustrate the moral bankruptcy of Vietnam's Communist regime. Quang spent more than half his life in prison, internal exile or under house arrest under a succession of political regimes for preaching opposition to tyranny in all its forms. Along with the UBCV deputy leader Thich Quang Do, he was sent into internal exile in 1982 and detained in remote provinces for the past 26 years for refusing to submit Vietnamese Buddhism to Communist Party control. After subjecting Quang to detention and isolation throughout his life, Hanoi's rulers sought to draw political capital from his death by insisting that his funeral be organized by the state-sponsored Vietnam Buddhist Church. Meanwhile the government-controlled media ran a vitriolic campaign to discredit Quang's natural successor, Mr. Do. They accused him and "other extremist elements disguised as Buddhist monks" of "plotting dark schemes" and "immoral actions" by trying to turn the funeral into an "anti-government rally." Mr. Do firmly denounced all government interference, and ultimately led the funeral on Friday, July 11, under the auspices of the banned UBCV. As a member of the World Trade Organization and this month's rotating president of the United Nations Security Council, Vietnam seeks to play an increasing role on the global stage. The reality of the official media's harsh rhetoric contrasts starkly with the pragmatic pronouncements of Vietnam's leadership, who extol the merits of capitalism and free-market reforms. Thirty years after the end of the Vietnam War, there are still no opposition parties, no free press, no free trade unions and no civil society. All independent religions are banned, and advocacy of human rights or democracy remains taboo. In this political vacuum, the religious movements in Vietnam -- especially Buddhism, with its tradition of social activism and adhered to by two-thirds of the Vietnam's 84 million people -- have assumed a key role in voicing the people's grievances and pressing for individual freedoms and rights. They are the true voices of civil society in Vietnam today. Indeed, this is the real crux of the conflict between the government and the UBCV, which it has banned. Quang demanded, and Mr. Do demands, not only religious freedom but the respect of basic human rights and democratic freedoms for all Vietnamese. At least 10,000 UBCV monks, nuns and lay followers braved government intimidation and possible arrest to attend his funeral in Binh Dinh and honor their beloved leader. Paying his last respects before Quang's coffin at the funeral at Nguyen Thieu Monastery Friday, Mr. Do made the following solemn pledge: "You have left us for ever, but the struggle for UBCV legality and human rights goes on. We pledge to continue your peaceful combat, to follow the path you traced. We know that countless obstacles lie ahead, and we are ready to confront them. We will not cease until we have fulfilled your dream to see the UBCV regain its legal status and win back the freedoms stolen from us by the Communist regime in 1975." Mr. Ai is the international spokesman of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.    more »

INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST INFORMATION BUREAU (BUREAU INTERNATIONAL D'INFORMATION BOUDDHISTE) Official information service of Vien Hoa Dao, Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam B.P. 63 - 94472 Boissy Saint L�ger cedex (France) - Tel.: Paris (331) 45 98 30 85 Fax : Paris (331) 45 98 32 61 - E-mail : ubcv.ibib@buddhist.com Web : http://www.queme.net For immediate release Paris, 10 July 2008 Hanoi’s interference in UBCV Patriarch’s funeral draws strong protests from the international community PARIS, 10 July 2008 (IBIB) – As members of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam prepare the funeral ceremony for the late Supreme Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang, to be held at 7.00am on Friday 11th July at the Nguyen Thieu Monastery in Binh Dinh, international protests are mounting against the Vietnamese government’s attempt to impose a State-sponsored funeral and discredit UBCV Deputy leader Thich Quang Do by denunciation campaigns in the State-controlled media. Today (10 July) three prominent U.S. Congressmen, Edward Royce, Chris Smith and Frank Wolf wrote jointly to Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet in Hanoi deploring that: “Despite [Thich Huyen Quang’s] respected positions with the UBCV and his decades of dedication and leadership, we are now informed that the Vietnamese government has intervened in the planning of the funeral, announcing that the State-sanctioned Buddhist Church will organize the funeral rather than the UBCV. We strongly disagree with this decision and urge its reversal”. “Furthermore, the denunciations of the Venerable Thich Quang Do and other so-called “extremist elements disguised as Buddhist monks” by the government-controlled media are troubling and frankly untrue. The Venerable Do is not an extremist as he has been characterized, but rather retains his standing within the Buddhist community as a well respected citizen and a strong leader. The Venerable Thich Quang Do and hundreds of members of the Unified Buddhist Church have been mourning the death of their leader in various ceremonies. We strongly urge you to respect their beliefs and allow [them] to organize and attend the Venerable Quang’s funeral without interference”. In a letter faxed to the International Buddhist Information Bureau to the attention of UBCV Deputy leader Thich Quang Do today, Therese Jebsen, Executive Director of the Norwegian Rafto Foundation wrote: “The Rafto Foundation strongly condemns the attempt by the Vietnamese government to wrest control over the funeral ceremony of Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang. We also react with anger and sorrow knowing that the Government-controlled media has run denunciation campaigns against You and your followers. This is an additional sign of the brutal and repressive nature of the illegitimate regime in Hanoi.” Ms Jebsen, whose foundation awarded Thich Quang Do the prestigious Rafto Prize in 2006, was arrested at the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in Saigon in March 2007 when she went to hand the Rafto Diploma to Thich Quang Do. “The Rafto Foundation realizes that the burden on Your shoulders will become even more heavy in the months and years to come” she wrote to the UBCV Deputy leader. “We will continue to support You and the Vietnamese peoples' struggle for democracy, freedom and human rights”. The death of the UBCV Patriarch was “as a tragic loss for all Vietnamese who are persecuted and subjected to human rights violations. It is also a loss for people around the world who are committed to the struggle for human rights and democracy. Thich Huyen Quang will be remembered as a shining example, representing the noblest values of human beings” she said. From Paris, the President of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) Souhayr Belhassen and Vietnam Committee on Human Rights’ President Vo Van Ai sent a joint letter of protest to Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet : “FIDH and VCHR denounce State interference into the UBCV’s internal affairs as a grave violation of the right to freedom of religion and belief enshrined in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a state party. We express our disappointment as these actions are especially shocking from a country that holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council. FIDH and VCHR call upon Vietnam to immediately withdraw all plans for a State-organised funeral. UBCV Deputy leader Thich Quang Do and UBCV members should be fully entitled to mourn their leader and conduct religious rites without any political interference in respect of international human rights standards on the right to freedom of religion and belief”. The London-based headquarters of Amnesty International also issued a strong statement today ”call[ing] on the Viet Nam authorities to allow his funeral to take place according to the wishes of his followers and church, without hindrance and harassment of UBCV members by agents of the state”. Thich Huyen Quang was adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience since 1990, and AI sections in Belgium, Canada, France, Austria, Netherlands and the USA had sent thousands of letters calling for his release. Ms Kathryn Cameron Porter, President of the Leadership Council for Human Rights in Washington D.C. expressed “solidarity with the UBCV in its peaceful struggle to worship freely”, in a letter addressed to Venerable Thich Quang Do on 9th July. “The Leadership Council joins the international community in calling on the Vietnamese leadership to end its restrictions on religious freedom, including unjust restrictions placed on the UBCV and its leadership. We hope that Ambassador Michalak will personally attend Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang’s funeral, and that the memorial services will be organized according to the Church’s wishes, without government interference. As we mourn the death of this great man, we honour his life and his powerful legacy”. ---   more »

WASHINGTON—The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom extends its sincere condolences to the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam on the death of the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang. The UBCV’s Supreme Patriarch died Saturday at his Nguyen Thieu monastery in the province of Binh Dinh, where he was being held under administrative detention orders because of his decades-long and peaceful campaign for the freedom of religion and related human rights in Vietnam. “Thich Huyen Quang was a strong voice for religious freedom and human rights in his country. Successive governments in Vietnam tried in vain to silence him, and he suffered greatly for peacefully championing religious freedom,” said Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. The UBCV, Vietnam’s largest Buddhist organization, was de facto banned in 1981 when the communist government formed the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha and required all Buddhists groups to join it. Since 2003, most of the UBCV’s senior leaders have been held under some sort of “pagoda arrest” and recent efforts to organize provincial committees and charitable and youth organizations have been met with harassment, threats, and some detentions. Vietnamese authorities are warning UBCV presumptive leader Thich Quang Do and other UBCV monks against turning the funeral for Thich Huyen Quang this week into an “anti-government rally” and have continued their campaign to discredit Thich Quang Do. A Commission delegation met with Thich Quang Do and other senior UBCV leaders during its October 2007 visit to Vietnam.   more »

Vietnam, State Department Houston discuss consulate by PHAN, your online buddy Link: http://phanthanh.multiply.com/links/184 Vietnam, State Department Houston discuss consulate.... June 26, 2008, 2:25PM Vietnam, State Department discuss Houston consulate Prime minister meets with business leaders... Mayra Beltran: Houston Chronicle June 26, 2008, 2:25PM Vietnam, State Department discuss Houston consulate Prime minister meets with business leaders By JENALIA MORENO Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Vietnam's ambassador to the U.S. said in Houston today that his nation would like to open a consul general's office here. "We have agreed in principle," said Ambassador Le Cong Phung, during a break in today's meeting between Vietnam's prime minister and Texas business leaders at a Galleria-area hotel. "We have got one office in the East, the embassy, and one in the West in San Francisco. The United States is a huge country. We cannot cover it all." Nguyen Tan Dung and his delegation of more than 100 Vietnamese officials are meeting with Texas cotton producers, energy company officials and airline executives to discuss ways to expand trade between the two nations. His meeting comes amid protests from members of the local Vietnamese community who claim Dung's government has one of the world's worst records on human rights. ********************** Pictures follow of demonstration by the Vietnamese community in Houston. If you haven’t seen Phan Thanh’s excellent site before – be prepared to spend a couple of hours looking at historic photos and current events. His own essay “I will return to Vietnam when …” is heartbreaking. All the better for bilingual readers, some are in Vietnamese and some in English. Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com   more »

June 24, 2008 Contact: SEARAC: Helly Lee (202) 667-4690 helly@searac.org Contact: HND: Nou Vang (202) 797-9105 nvang@hndinc.org *837 Lao Hmong Sent Back to Laos from Thailand* *Washington**, DC* – On Saturday, June 21st, 837 Lao Hmong were deported from the Huay Nam Khao camp in Phetchabun Province, Thailand. Prior to the date of deportation, thousands of Hmong residents of the camp attempted a march to Bangkok in order to protest the impending deportations. However, the protesters were stopped by members of the Thai police and military, with an estimated 500 arrested and placed in provincial jails. The Thai government states that those who returned to Laos did so voluntarily. The population of almost 8,000 Lao Hmong in Phetchabun Province started to arrive in the region in 2004, many of whom arrived in Thailand seeking refuge as a result of the persecution they faced in Laos. While the Thai government claims that it has already completed its own screening process of the camp residents, because no international entities, including UNHCR, were allowed to be involved with the screening process, it is unclear whether the screening process used by the Thai government met international standards. The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) and Hmong National Development (HND) are concerned that many of the Lao Hmong deported to Laos did not do so voluntarily. In addition, we remain concerned that /bona fide/ refugees will be returned to Laos without an opportunity to be identified as refugees and eligible for third country resettlement. Doua Thor, Executive Director of SEARAC states, “We are troubled by the news of the mass deportations of Lao Hmong back to Laos from Phetchabun Province. No refugees should be forcibly returned to the country from which they fled, and we simply cannot be sure that there were no individuals and families in this group of recent returnees who would otherwise be recognized as refugees through an international refugee screening process. In addition, because there has been no participation of an international monitoring entity, we are concerned about the safety and well being of the population during the deportation process and once they arrive back in Laos.” “HND works to protect the welfare of the national Hmong community in the U.S. as well as the welfare of our neighboring Hmong communities overseas. We remain deeply concerned about the latest deportation and the way in which it was enacted upon by Thai officials. The sudden deportation of these refugees will have an immediate impact on inadequate access to services and nutrition during this period” states Nou Vang, Executive Director of HND. “We request that both the Thai and Lao governments allow the involvement of international agencies in order to ensure the well-being of these Lao Hmong refugees.” SEARAC and HND will continue to monitor this situation and advocate for the implementation of an internationally recognized refugee screening process for the Lao Hmong who remain in Thailand and the assured protection, including the use of international monitors, for those who are returned to Laos. We will also continue to provide updates as this situation progresses. ### **************************************************************************** SEARAC (http://www.searac.org) is a national nonprofit organization working to advance the interests of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans through capacity building, advocacy, and education. SEARAC is proud to work with a national network of over 180 Southeast Asian American grant-eligible organizations accessible at http://www.searac.org/maa/.   more »

The statement is in Vietnamese and English. It concerns the need for free elections, Vietnamese corruption, the lack of protection of the Spratly Islands from takeover, inflation and other economic difficulties. signed by eleven Vietnamese political parties   more »

Report Reveals “Deterioration” of Religious Freedom, Human Rights in Vietnam FALLS CHURCH, VA May 28 – On the eve of State Department’s dialogue on human rights with the government of Vietnam in Hanoi, a report released Wednesday highlights an on-going crackdown on Vietnam’s independent religious leaders, journalists, and pro-democracy voices. The first four months of 2008 witnessed further deterioration of human rights conditions in Vietnam relative to the latter half of 2007. Incidents of sentencing, detention, arrest, and harassment, all combined, severely restricted the freedoms of expression, the press, religion, assembly, association, and movement. Since Vietnam had achieved all its major diplomatic objectives, especially its admission as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the government toughened its opposition to “foreign intervention in Vietnam’s domestic affairs.” The Government of Vietnam maintained that it held no political prisoners. Concessions made recently were few and superficial, such as the release and extradition of a handful of American and French citizens of Vietnamese origin. On the other hand, Vietnam assumed a much more hard-line position towards dissidents, with more arrests and heavier sentences. Vietnam Study Group May 2008 Contributors: Nguyen Dinh Thang, PhD; Vu Quoc Dung; Pastor Truong Tri Hien; Nguyen Cao Quyen; Nguyen Quoc Khai; Ngo Thi Hien Report from IBIB-UBCV includes serious harassments and intimidation by Security Police against UBCV monks in Lam Dong Province. UBCV monk Thich Tri Khai has disappeared since 7 May. Earlier (29 April) his Giac Hai Pagoda was seized for State sponsored Vesak celebrations. The 23-page report is attached in pdf.. Six more pages at the end are the charted list of 62 political and religious prisoners detained since August 2006.   more »

On May 29th, David Kramer, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, will lead a delegation to Hanoi to participate in a dialogue on U.S. - Vietnam Human Rights. In advance of those meeting, Dr. Ngai Nguyen, the Vice Secretary of the Democratic Party of Vietnam, just returned from three days of meetings in Washington, D.C. with key officials at the U.S. Department of State who will participate in the Hanoi meetings, and several Congressional leaders. In meetings at the State Department with Dr. Michael Orona, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor, and Brett Blackshaw, Vietnam Desk Officer for the Office of Mainland Southeast Asia, Dr. Nguyen said that, “an ongoing U.S. - Vietnam dialogue can expand understanding between our two countries and peoples while consolidating human rights gains that have been won. However, actions speak louder than words.” Therefore, Dr. Nguyen asked that U.S. officials discuss the following issues with the Vietnam government at the meetings in Hanoi: 1. All political and religious prisoners who are still being jailed in Vietnam must be set free, unconditionally. 2. Unless major changes and improvements are made immediately, the U.S. State Department will recommend that Vietnam be redesignated a “country of particular concern” for its lack of democracy, human rights and religious freedom. 3. There must be substantial improvements in freedom of assembly, press, Internet and civil society. Dr. Orona and Mr. Blackshaw, who will participate in the Hanoi meetings, assured Dr. Nguyen that these issues will be addressed, and that they expect some tangible results and actions from the Vietnamese government as a result of this dialogue on May 29th. While in Washington, D.C., Dr. Nguyen also met with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who agreed to place an additional ten names in the U.S. Congressional Record of political and religious prisoners recently detained by the Vietnam government. Mr. Rohrabacher, at the request of Dr. Nguyen in 2007, placed the names of 85 prisoners in the Congressional   more »

Honorable Senators and Representatives of Congress of the United States Ladies, Gentlemen and Distinguished Guests, Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you on the current Human Rights situation in Vietnam. In my personal view, the situation is as follows: 1. Since the re-establishment of the US-Vietnam normalization, the human rights situation in Vietnam has not improved in accordance with expectations. If there appears to be any improvements, these are quite superficial and temporary, mainly to relief international pressure or to obtain a special short-term objective. After such an objective is achieved, the human rights situation in Vietnam crawls back to its previous condition. It is therefore not reasonable to rely on temporary evidence to conclude that there is human rights progress under the governance of the Vietnamese Communist Party. In reality, the Vietnamese Communist Party continues to intimidate and oppress democratic dissidents, when these people express views that reflect the realistic dismal conditions in Vietnam; continues to allow corruptions to occur, in outrageous events such as the dispossessing of land from farmers and the illegal trafficking of human labor. When these people protest, to ask for the return of their land or to demand justice, they are subjected to harsh and direct intimidation measures. Or when students take to the street to protest against the illegal occupations of the group of islands called Paracels and Spratlys by China, they are subjected to oppressive measures (*1). 2. Economic developments in Vietnam have not led to the improvements in human rights practices, as expected by many. The reason is the Vietnamese Communist Party's refusal to change from a single-party-rule authoritarian regime. For example, they continue to proclaim the supremacy of its rule on the people by maintaining the validity of Article 4 of Vietnam's Constitution (*2), which guarantees the Vietnamese Communist Party's rule forever. As a result, benefits are reserved to a minority of people who pledged absolute loyalty to the Communist Party. These special party-loyalists are allowed to confiscate land from common citizens, to decimate natural resources, to skim off international developmental aid as well as natural disaster relief funds… These actions are allowed so as to purchase party loyalty. It is a vicious cycle in which these party loyalists become richer because they are loyal to the party. As they become richer still, they will become more loyal and thus more vicious against the common citizens in order to protect their personal wealth and power. Economic developments within a non-democratic society can only lead to: a. a richer group of minority authority figures b. an increase in the power and means to subjugate the common citizens, by this group of minority authority figures c. a condition in which poor people become poorer and have less power to protect themselves All of these lead to a more and more severe imbalance and gap between the rich and the poor, within society. For example, whether it is furnished with much economic wealth, a prison is still a prison by any definitions. And birds, kept within a well furnished cage among other stronger and nastier birds, can still perish from hunger for obvious reasons. These two examples clearly reflect the reality inside Vietnam today. 3. After his successful election campaign, President George Bush has stated that he will continue to support all democratic movements worldwide (*3). Even though Vietnam tried to contain many democratic movements, they were growing in terms of number as well as maturity. However, today, these movements are being eliminated by the Vietnamese Communist Party, one by one. The political dissidents inside Vietnam place much faith and hope in the statement made by President Bush and are counting on tangible actions from this statement. The installment of democracy inside Vietnam will help both of our countries. After all, having a relationship with a democratic Vietnam is indeed much more beneficial, both materially and ethically, for the US than having a relationship with a tyrannical regime like that of the Vietnamese Communist Party today. 4. The people of Vietnam today are on the verge of a very important threshold, as far as the process of democratization is concerned. The people are no longer paralyzed with fears caused by the oppressive tactics of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Moreover, people are willing to accept the risks associated with actions such as standing up for their rights. For instance, people from various strata within society have stood up to raise their concerns. Among these are students, laborers, artists, intellectuals who often use the Internet and blog pages to express their ideals and experiences as well as street protests. In order to lend a hand of encouragement to the common citizens of Vietnam in their demand for human rights, and to solidify in the long-term mutual relationships between the people of Vietnam and the United States of America, we ask for your help on the following points: a. Support and advocate for the Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2007 (HR 3096), put forth by Rep. Christopher Smith, in which concrete suggestions have been outlined with the purpose to assist with the democratization process in Vietnam. b. Support and advocate for recommendations by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to place Vietnam back into the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), because after the removal from this list, the human rights situation in Vietnam has greatly deteriorated. Thank you for your attention. May God bless America and Vietnam. Nguyen Chinh Ket _____________________________________________   more »

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedoms includes Vietnam among 11 worst nations The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act requires the United States to identify "countries whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic and egregious violations of the universal right to freedom of religion or belief." The act created the federal panel that annually surveys world religious freedom and gives recommendations to the president, secretary of state and Congress. The law allows policy responses to listed countries, such as sanctions. The commission said it is troubled the State Department has not made any designations or redesignations since 2006, even though it issued a report on religious freedom in September. "While IRFA does not set a specific deadline for the CPC [countries of particular concern] designations, the fact that those designations are based on that review indicates that they should be made in a timely way thereafter," the committee said in a report. The group said the inaction "may send the unfortunate signal that the U.S. government is not sufficiently committed to the IRFA process, including by seeking improvements from the most severe religious freedom violators." Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan are on the latest State Department list, prepared in November 2006. The panel recommends adding Vietnam, which had been removed from the last listing, as well as Pakistan and Turkmenistan. The commission made these observations. · Myanmar: "Directed increasing repression at ethnic and religious minorities, democracy activists, and international humanitarian agencies over the past year." The crackdown on September demonstrations by Buddhist monks was cited. · China: "Severe crackdowns targeting Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, 'underground' Roman Catholics, 'house church' Protestants, and various spiritual movements such as Falun Gong continue unabated." · Sudan: Pursued "coercive policies of Arabization and Islamization resulting in genocide" in the Darfur region and imposed severe restrictions on religious freedom and other human rights. Christians and followers of local religions have been victimized in a decades-long North-South war. · Iran: Baha'is, Sufi Muslims and evangelical Christians "face relentless arrests, imprisonment, and harassment." Fears among Iran's Jews have grown due to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated denials of the Holocaust and other anti-Semitic statements. · Eritrea: There have been "arbitrary arrests and detention without charge of members of unregistered religious groups, and the torture or other ill-treatment of hundreds of persons on account of their religion, sometimes resulting in death." · North Korea: No "protections for universal human rights, including religious freedom," and religion is perceived as a security threat. · Saudi Arabia: "Serious violations of freedom of religion ... by banning all forms of public religious expression other than that of the government's own interpretation of one school of Sunni Islam and by interfering with private religious practice. " · Uzbekistan: Muslims arrested, groups repressed, mosques closed, targeting groups "that do not conform to government-prescribed practices or that it alleges to be associated with extremist political programs." · Vietnam: "Severe religious freedom restrictions targeting some ethnic minority Protestants and Buddhists, Vietnamese Mennonites, Hoa Hao Buddhists, and monks and nuns associated with the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam." · Pakistan: Sectarian and religiously motivated violence continues, particularly against Shiite Muslims, Ahmadis, Christians and Hindus. The government's response remains "inadequate." · Turkmenistan: "Significant religious freedom problems and official harassment of religious adherents persist." Registered and unregistered religious groups harassed.   more »

Violations of human rights in Vietnam today, the first four months of 2008, are listed by The Committee for Human Rights in Vietnam, based in Hanoi. Religious freedom issues are noted for Catholics, the Protestant Church of Vietnam, and the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. The UBCV has particular repression because of the upcoming Vesek 2008 in May. Prisons are noted; in one case a prisoner died and in another a man was handcuffed in prison for a year.   more »

Excerpts and links to articles, video, and interview by these authors gathered by Jean Libby, editor, VietAm Review from published sources. All authors support the protest of human rights violations in China except for Voice of America, who support Beijing position and the anti-American and antiEuropean rantings of President Musharraf of Pakistan. Senator John McCain recommends that President Bush not attend opening ceremonies in Beijing in August.   more »