Speech of Bloc 8406 to the
on
By Nguyen Chinh Ket
(Overseas Representative of Bloc 8406)
Cf: The Vietnamese version:
"Phát
biểu của đại diện Khối 8406
trong Ngày Nhân Quyền cho Việt Nam
được tổ chức tại Quốc Hội Hoa Kỳ
(8/5/2008)"
Honorable
Senators and Representatives of Congress of the
Ladies,
Gentlemen and Distinguished Guests,
Thank you for this opportunity to speak
with you on the current Human Rights situation in
1. Since the re-establishment
of the US-Vietnam normalization, the human rights situation in
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
2. Economic developments in
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
3. After his successful
election campaign, President George Bush has stated that he will continue to
support all democratic movements worldwide (*3). Even though
4. The people of
In order to lend a hand of
encouragement to the common citizens of
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
b. Support and advocate for
recommendations by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to
place
Thank you for your attention. May God
bless
Nguyen Chinh Ket
_____________________________________________
Notes:
(*1) For
example, the Vietnamese Communist Party committed attorney at law Bui Kim Thanh
to an insane asylum, for the second time, as a punishment despite the fact that
she is not ill. Also, two weeks ago, on April 25,2008, the Vietnamese Communist
Party sentenced three members of Bloc 8406 to a total of 10 years in prison
because these people protest peacefully against their rule. Also recently, the
Vietnamese Communist Party authorized the arrest and physical mistreatments of
people who were allegedly been planning to organize a protest against Chinese
occupation of Paracels and Spratleys islands… Religious freedom in
(*2) Article 4 in the current
(*3) President George W. Bush said: “Today,
The
document attached to the speech:
THE COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN
RIGHTS IN VIETNAM
P. O Box 648, Buu Dien Bo Ho, Hanoi,
Vietnam
Email: humanrightsvn@gmail.com
http://www.humanrightsvn.blogspot.com
http://uybannhanquyenvietnam.blogspot.com
REPORT ON
CONTINUOUS VIOLATIONS
OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN
January 2008:
§ Jan. 6: The Vietnamese communist
authorities mobilized a massive police force to round up the followers of the
Catholic Diocese of Thai Ha, Dong Da district, Hanoi while they were rallying
to pray for the return of a land property which was the historic site of the
Vietnamese Catholic Church's Office of the Apostolic Nuncio that the communist
government unlawfully took over years ago.
§ Jan. 9: Uniformed and plainclothes
police were called up to quell a demonstration staged by youths and college
students in
§ Jan. 10: Victim of injustice Luong
Van Sinh, a resident of Binh Thuan province, was imprisoned on charges of
joining Bloc 8406 Bloc and communicating with 'reactionaries'.
§ Jan. 15: The People's Democratic
Party (PDP) denounced the communist government's intentional use of harsh
treatment and forced labor against such political prisoners as Le Nguyen Sang,
MD, lawyers Nguyen Bac Truyen, Tran Quoc Hien and Nguyn Van Dai, and journalist
Huynh Nguyen Dao.
§ Jan. 16: The For the People Party
(FPP) denounced the communist government's inhumane treatment of journalist
Truong Minh Duc, Kien Giang province, who has been detained since May 5,2007.
Having denied medical care for his broken arm due to an accidental fall, his
health has been seriously deteriorating.
§ Jan. 19: The Vietnamese communist
authorities continued to employ various measures of repression against youths
and college students in Hanoi and Saigon who staged peaceful demonstrations
protesting communist China, mainly the interrogations and arrests of a number
of bloggers, including film director Song Chi, war veteran Hoang Hai, lawyer
Phan Thanh Hai, poet Bui Chat, Quoc Dung, Uyen Vu, Anh Bang, Le Hao, as well as
other college and high school students. A police checkpoint was installed in
front of writer Nguyen Xuan Nghia's residence in Hai Phong to prevent him from
joining the demonstrations in
§ Jan. 21: Former police officer Ta
Phong Tan submitted a letter denouncing illegal arrests made by the Cau Ong
Lanh precinct police in District 1,
§ Jan. 25: Lawyer Le Quoc Quan, a
H'Mong ethnic woman and other Catholic faithful were severely injured during a
police roundup of praying protesters in front of the defunct Office of the
Apostolic Nuncio in
§ Jan. 29: Citizens Truong Quoc Huy and
Hang Tan Phat were each sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment and 3 years of
house arrest for having allegedly distributed anti-State leaflets.
§ Jan. 30: The communist government
issued two unconstitutional, undemocratic and anti-human rights decrees (No.
11/2008 and 12/2008), aimed at prohibiting worker strikes.
§ Jan. 31: The authorities was forced
to free writer Tran Khai Thanh Thuy due to her poor health conditions after she
had been unjustly held for 9 months and 10 days and subjected to constant
slandering and harsh treatment, which led to her quickly deteriorating health.
§ Jan 31: Democracy activist student
Nguyen Tien
February 2008:
§ Feb. 3: Journalist Hoang Hai (blogger
Dieu Cay) in
§ Feb. 5: Hoang Hai was taken back for
another interrogation from 6 p. m. to 10 p. m. at the police station of
Precinct 8, District 3.
§ Feb. 8: Police arrived at the
residence of journalist Nguyen Xuan Nghia in Hai Phong, threatening to beat him
up if he attempted to attend Prof. Hoang Minh Chinh's funeral in
§ Feb. 11: Venerable Thich Nhat Ban,
Dong Nai province, a member of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UCBV),
was harassed at his Ba La Mat temple by the police of Long Thanh district, Dong
Nai province. Meanwhile Mr. Tran Khue in Saigon was prevented from boarding a
plane to attend Prof. Hoang Minh Chinh's funeral in
§ Feb. 12: Mr. Do Nam Hai in Saigon was
prohibited from leaving Saigon for the funeral while Venerable Thich Khong Tanh
was harassed on his way to
§ Feb. 12 & 13: The police of Tuy
Phuoc district, Binh Dinh province, subjected Monk Thich Dong Tho and Venerable
Thich Minh Tuan, head of the UBCV Nguyen Thieu Monastery, to unlawful
interrogations.
§ Feb. 14: A large police force
installed a checkpoint in front of journalist Nguyen Khac Toan's home in
>§ Feb. 15: Dr. An Nhan, an American
of Vietnamese descent, was expelled from
§ Feb. 16: The communist authorities
violated civil rights and current laws by blocking public access to Prof.
Chinh's funeral in
§ Feb. 16 & 18: Journalist Hoang
Hai (blogger Dieu Cay) was again forced to report to another illegal
interrogation by the police of Precinct 8, District 3,
§ Feb. 17 –20: Mr. Vo Van Nghe, a
member of the Democratic Party, Century XXI, was interrogated by the police in
Thanh Hoa province, who accused him of anti-Party activities and forced him to
leave his own party.
§ Feb. 22: The FPP denounced the
illegal 262-day detention of student Dang Hung before he was released on
February 1,2008 and placed under unlimited house arrest in the
§ Feb. 24: Mrs. Ngo Thi Mai Huong, in
an interview with the RFA radio network, charged the communist government of
inhumanity by not allowing her to enter
§ Feb. 25: Assemblyman Peter Gitmark of
§ Feb. 25: Members of the United
Workers and Farmers Organization of Vietnam were finally sentenced by the Court
of Appeal to prison terms, respectively Mr. Doan Van Dien to 4 years and 6
months of imprisonment (without probation) ; Mrs. Tran Thi Le Hong (Le Hang),3
years of imprisonment; Mr. Doan Huy Chuong (aka Nguyen Tan Hoanh), Mrs. Nguyen
Thi Tuyết, and Mr. Phung Quang Huyen, each 1 year and 6 months of imprisonment.
§ Feb. 25: The FPP denounced the
government's mistreatment of political prisoner Truong Minh Duc, currently held
in a prison in Kien Giang province.
§ Feb. 29: Mr. Do Nam Hai's freedom of
movement continued to be violated when he tried to board a plane leaving Saigon
for
March 2008:
§ Mar. 2: Many residents of the 9th
district of Saigon were detained in connection with a demonstration for the
return of their land properties on November 22,2007 in front of the district
office of the People's Committee. They included Kieu Van Hoa, Nguyen Van Tuan,
Nguyen Van Nang, Luu Quoc Luan, Nguyen Nam Dien, Nguyen Thi Tho, Nguyen Thi Dung,
Do Thi Mai, Duong Thanh Truc, Nguyen Thi My Van.
§ Mar. 4: Lawyer Bui Kim Thanh was
again arrested and held against her will in the Bien Hoa mental hospital.
§ Mar. 6: Mr. Kpa Kloh,41, died,
according to the Protestant BosNews news agency, on February 20,2008, as a
result of being brutally tortured at a prison in Phu Yen province, surviving
his wife and 6 children. He had been reportedly arrested and ruthlessly
tortured since February 9,2008, not mentioning previous police assaults and
arrests.
§ Mar. 6: Mrs. Ngo Mai Huong, in a
letter requesting the release of her husband, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, denounced
the communist consular office in
§ Mar. 7: In an interview with RFA,
Pastor Nguyen Van Dien of the Protestant Church of Vietnam, Tra Vinh branch,
denounced the provincial authorities who had forced various houses of worship
to close and severely beaten their followers, including Pastor Nguyen Van Dien,
and Mr. Thach Sanh of the Tra Cu branch. Another Khmer faithful named Kim Hone
and many others were also assaulted.
§ Mar. 9: Lawyer Phan Thanh Hai, member
of the Free Journalists Club, denounced the
§ Mar. 10: Venerable Thich Thien Hanh
denounced the police who had sent 200 policemen to blockade and harass the
Nguyen Thieu Monastery at the beginning of the (Lunar) New Year of the Rat.
They have threatened to expel from the monastery Monk Thich Dong Tho, a close
disciple of the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, head of the UBCV Institute
for the Propagation of the Dharma.
§ Mar. 12: The communist authorities
circulated a draft that would constitutionally violate the people's human
rights by attempting to muzzle the freedom of information. Its title was
"Decree to Regulate and Punish Administrative Violations in the
Management, Provision and Use of Internet services and Electronic Communication
on the Internet. "
§ Mar. 24: Mr. Le Thanh Tung denounced
the officials of Chuong My district, Ha Tay province, who had illegally
handcuffed victim of injustice Tran Van Loc for a full year, violating his
human rights.
§ Mar. 27: Mr. Do Nam Hai was forced by
the Phu Nhuan district police in
§ Mar. 27: Mrs. Ho Thi Thuong, wife of
Mr. Doan Van Dien (recently sentenced to prison) denounced in an interview with
RFA that local authorities had threatened her verbally and obstructed her
interview.
§ Mar. 28: Journalist Truong Minh Duc
was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment by an illegal trial court in Vinh
Thuan district, Kien Giang province during which he was not accompanied by a
defense lawyer or allowed to defend for himself despite the fact that he had
been mistreated in prison.
April 2008:
§ April 2: The UBCV's International
Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB) denounced Vietnamese communist police who
had raided several UBCV temples, namely Giac Hai in Lam Dong province and Phuoc
Hue in Quang Tri province, in preparation for the upcoming government-hosted
International Vesak Day.
§ April 3: Venerable Thich Thien Minh,
in Urgent Notice, No. 2 of the Former Political and Religious Prisoners
Association, denounced Bac Lieu provincial officials who had used dirty tricks
to harass, slander, blemish, and "publicly denounce" him in the mass
media.
§ April 4: The Viet Tan Party
condemned, in its Press Release No. 15, the communist authorities for having
illegally arrested its members Nguyen Tan Anh, Mai Huu Bao and Nguyen Thi Xuan
Trang on March 4,2008, when they arrived from the US for a visit to their party
comrades, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan and Mr Somsak Khunmi, and collaborators Nguyen
The Vu and Nguyen Viet Trung, who all are currently held at the B34 prison at
237 Nguyen Van Cu Street in the 1st district of Saigon.
§ April 4: Mr. Do Nam Hai was again
forced to have another interrogation concerning documents promoting democracy,
stored in his computer that the police illegally
confiscated on March 27,2008.
§ April 5: Viet Tan party members
Nguyen Tan Anh, Mai Huu Bao, and Nguyen Thi Xuan Trang, released under
international pressure, were immediately expelled from
§ April 8: The UBCV's IBIB denounced
the attempt of the [State-sanctioned] Buddhist Church of Vietnam to take over
§ April 9: A massive force of armed
personnel and riot police forces was mobilized to ruthlessly quell a
demonstration of the Khmer Krom people in An Giang province demanding the
return of confiscated land.
§ April 10: The Catholics of Thai Ha
were threatened and harassed while they were peacefully praying for the return
of the Church's properties, in the wake of the government's false accusations
and propaganda concerning their peaceful demonstrations.
§ April 11: Relatives of dissidents
Nguyen Ngoc Quang, Pham Ba Hai, and Vu Hoang Hai denounced, in a RFA interview,
the communist government which had illegally held these detainees for over 2
years without trial.
§ April 13: A large contingent of
police was sent to disrupt a meeting of democracy activists in
§ April 14: Over 300 people of Ja-Rai
ethnicity rallied at a demonstration in Iato village, Cho Se district, Gia Lai
province, displaying the 3-red-stripes-on-a-yellow-field flag (of the former
Republic of Vietnam) and demanding for the return of their land. Many were
brutally crushed; others had to flee.
The CHRV strongly condemns the
Vietnamese communist government for having repeatedly violated human rights in
the first 3 months of 2008. The CHRV hereby calls upon all concerned Vietnamese
and people throughout the world to exert adequate pressure in
order to improve the situation of serious human rights violations in
THE COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN
