Rep. Lofgren Urges Administration to Question Vietnam at Universal Periodic Review Letter Calls on Government to Press Vietnam on Human Rights Record Washington, D.C. – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) recently authored a letter that was also signed by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), and Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA), calling on the Obama Administration to actively participate in the UN Human Rights Council's review of Vietnam during the current session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, which is co-chaired by Reps. Lofgren, Smith, Sanchez, and Cao, worked with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and various non-governmental organizations to develop a list of suggested questions for the review. This list accompanied Rep. Lofgren’s letter, which was sent to the United States Mission to the United Nations. Click here for a pdf of the letter to United States Mission to the United Nations (also below). Click here for a pdf of the Vietnam Caucus Questions. April 24, 2009 The Honorable Susan Rice Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations 140 East 45th Street New York, NY 10017 Dear Madame Ambassador: As Members of the United States House of Representatives and Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, we write to urge the United States Mission to the United Nations to participate actively in the Human Rights Council's review of Vietnam during the current session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR process offers a unique opportunity to assess publicly the human rights records of UN Member States. On May 8, 2009, Vietnam will come before the UPR for the first time. As you know, any Member State can pose questions of the Government of Vietnam during the review. We believe it is imperative that the UPR include a full accounting of human rights conditions in Vietnam, including the multitude of abuses detailed in the State Department’s 2008 Country Report on Human Rights Practices. Toward that end, the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam has worked with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and various non-governmental organizations to develop the enclosed list of suggested questions for the review of Vietnam. These questions cover a wide range of critical issues and abuses, including the Vietnamese government's continuing crackdown on democracy activists, journalists and other dissidents, its restrictions on religious freedom, its pervasive censorship of the internet, and widespread arbitrary detention and deprivation of due process. We respectfully request that the United States Mission consider submitting the enclosed questions during the UPR session for Vietnam. Given that the UPR considers the human rights record of each country only once every four years, it is crucial that this opportunity not be missed. Sincerely, ZOE LOFGREN CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH Member of Congress Member of Congress LORETTA SANCHEZ ANH “JOSEPH” CAO Member of Congress Member of Congress   more »

From: Center for Southeast Asia Studies Date: April 21, 2009 9:47:21 AM PDT To: lam@pacificnews.org Subject: TALK by Tieu Dao Bao Cu on Vietnamese poetry IN VIETNAMESE ONLY, Apr 28 Special Lecture IN VIETNAMESE "Thuyet trinh: Van hoc Viet nam giai doan chuyen tiep tu tien chien sang khang chien qua cuoc doi va tac pham cua nha tho Huu Loan" ["The Development and Transformation of Vietnamese Poetry in Wartime"] Tieu Dao Bao Cu Dissident Vietnamese writer Talk to be conducted in Vietnamese. NO TRANSLATION PROVIDED. Tuesday, 28 April 2009 12.30 to 2.00 pm IEAS conference room, 6th floor 2223 Fulton St., Berkeley CA Tieu Dao Bao Cu was born in 1945 in Hue. From 1967 to 1975, he taught in Buon Me Thuot and Bao Loc, Lam Dong, and was involved in anti-(Southern) government activities through both journalistic and covert operations. He was admitted to the Vietnamese Communist Party in 1974. Between 1975 to 1987, he worked at the offices of Youth and Fatherland Front in Bao Loc. In 1988, together with Huu Loan and Bui Minh Quoc, then Chairman of Writers and Artists Association of Lam Dong province, he set out on a country-wide journey to rally intellectuals and artists to sign a petition requesting the Vietnamese Communist Party to implement real democracy and renovation. Shortly after that trip he was expelled from the Party and put under house arrest. -- The Center for Southeast Asia Studies International & Area Studies University of California at Berkeley 2223 Fulton Street, #617 Berkeley, CA 94720-2318 Phone: (510) 642-3609 Fax: (510) 643-7062 http://cseas.berkeley.edu Andrew Lam Editor New America Media 275 9th street, 3rd floor San Francisco, Ca 94103 415-503-4170 x 110 Save June 4-5, 2009 for NAM! National Ethnic Media EXPO & Awards, Atlanta Hyatt Regency   more »

Apr. 14th, 2009 at 6:38 AM Kết thúc chuyến thăm viếng Việt Nam 3 ngày, thượng nghị sĩ Đảng Cộng Hòa Mỹ, chủ tịch Ủy Ban Quốc Phòng Thượng Viện có cuộc tiếp xúc với sinh viên và đọc bài diễn văn tại Học Viện Ngoại Giao tại Hà Nội với lời lẽ cứng rắn, cương quyết, tuy không như trước đây tại Sàigon, Nghị Sĩ Mc Cain đã đưa ra nhận xét rằng: Kẻ xấu đã chiến thắng tại Việt Nam... Lần nầy Nghị Sĩ Mc Cain mềm mỏng hơn, nhưng không kém cương quyết. Ông nói: “Việt Nam đã có tiến bộ về mặt kinh tế. Nhưng Việt Nam cần phải có bước tiến mới, tiến triển về dân chủ, thay đổi chính trị. Phải trả tự do cho tất cả những người bất đồng chính kiến bị bắt giam. Có như thế Việt Nam mới sớm hội nhập vào với thế giới văn minh nhân loại sau khi Việt Nam được thu nhận vào tổ chức Tự Do Mậu Dịch Thế Giới (WTO) và được Hoa Kỳ dành cho quy chế Thường Trực và Bình Thường Mậu Dịch (PNTR). Đề cập đến khía cạnh quốc phòng Thượng Nghị Sĩ Mc Cain nói: Việt Nam và Hoa Kỳ cần nâng cao hơn sự hợp tác quốc phòng nhằm bảo vệ an ninh chung cho khu vực Châu Á Thái Bình Dương...”. Sự kiện, chủ tịch Ủy Ban Quốc Phòng Thượng Viện Mỹ đến Việt Nam sau khi Trung Cộng thiết lập căn cứ hải quân Tam Á và xây dựng khu trú ẩn cho tàu ngầm nguyên tử tại đảo Hải Nam là một sự kiện quan trọng. Quan trọng hơn nữa sau khi hải quân Trung Cộng đối đầu với tàu nghiên cứu Hải Dương Học của Mỹ trong khu vực lãnh hải quốc tế mà Trung Cộng cho rằng tàu này do thám sự di chuyển của tàu ngầm Trung Cộng dưới đại dương và xâm hại lãnh hải của họ (?) chuyến thăm Việt Nam của Nghị Sĩ Mc Cain chỉ sau một tháng Đô Đốc Robert Willard Tư Lệnh Hạm Đội Thứ 7 Thái Bình Dương Hoa Kỳ đến Hà Nội và đã có các cuộc họp với giới chức quốc phòng CSVN, điều nầy cho thấy Hoa Kỳ rất quan tâm đến sự bành trướng sức mạnh quân sự trong khu vực Thái Bình Dương trong thời gian qua của Trung Cộng, trong đó có việc Hải Quân Trung Cộng đưa một tàu chiến được cải biến thành “Tàu Tuần Tra Ngư Nghiệp” đến khu vực tranh lãnh hải giữa Trung Cộng, Việt Nam, Phi Luật Tân chưa được Liên Hiệp Quốc giải quyết. Những lời khuyến cáo của Thượng Nghị Sĩ John Mc Cain, chủ tịch Ủy Ban Quốc Phòng Thượng Viện dành cho những kẻ cầm quyền tại Việt Nam về Tự Do Dân Chủ cần phải có tại Việt Nam, Đảng CSVN không thể tiếp tục tướt đoạt các quyền căn bản của con người tại Việt Nam như Quyền Tự Do Tín Ngưỡng, Tự Do Ngôn Luận, Tự Do Hội Họp, thành lập hội đoàn v.v...nếu những lời khuyến cáo của Nghị Sĩ Mc Cain không được những kẻ cầm quyền tại Việt Nam lắng nghe, nhất là đối với những ủy viên cao cấp trong bộ chính trị Trung Ương Đảng CSVN, vốn là những kẻ không bao giờ biết lắng nghe lẽ phải, biết quan tâm đến đời sống khó khăn của dân chúng trong nước và nhu cầu về quốc phòng hiện nay Việt Nam đang cần và phải có để đương đầu với sức mạnh hải quân của Trung Cộng hiện nay đang đe dọa vùng lãnh hải của Việt Nam thì có thể viện trợ Quân Sự của Mỹ sẽ tạm ngưng, mặc dù mới đây giữa Nguyễn Tấn Dũng và Bộ Trưởng Quốc Phòng Mỹ Robert Gates đã ký với nhau một hiệp ước “nâng cao sự hợp tác quốc phòng giữa Hoa Kỳ và Việt Nam”. Trong hiệp ước nầy, Hoa Kỳ sẽ viện trợ quân sự cho Việt Nam đồng thời với việc tổ chức huấn luyện quân sự cho cao cấp cho các sĩ quan quân đội CSVN trong tương lai. Nghị Sĩ Mc Cain cần theo dõi những lời khuyến cáo của ông đối với nhà cầm quyền CSVN có hiệu lực hay không? Nếu những lời khuyến cáo đó không được nhà cầm quyền CSVN quan tâm cải thiện Nhân Quyền, thay đổi bộ mặt chính trị để xứng đáng với tư cách là một “Đồng Minh Của Hoa Kỳ” thì Nghị Sĩ với tư cách Chủ Tịch Ủy Ban Quốc Phòng Thượng Viện sẽ làm gì để đưa CSVN vào quỹ đạo của Hoa Kỳ? Chứ không thể chỉ có đánh trống xong buông dùi như một số chính khách Mỹ từng làm./- Tags: Nguyễn Hương Nhân http://vantuyen.livejournal.com/112011.html OPEN FOR FULL ARTICLE http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2009/4/14/4153337.html See the Voice of America Vietnamese News article with comments by Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch: http://www.voanews.com/vietnamese/2009-04-13-voa17.cfm    more »

Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam April 7, 2009 It has been more than five years since I last visited Vietnam, and on this occasion I am reminded again of the extraordinary strides Vietnam has made in recent years. Poverty has fallen dramatically, trade is up, living standards have risen, and Vietnam has normalized relations not only with the United States, but with much of the world. Perhaps emblematic of this progress – and of Vietnam’s future potential on the world stage – is Vietnam’s current membership on the United Nations Security Council. .................................... And three years ago, the United States extended Permanent Normal Trading Relations status to Vietnam, paving the way for its entrance into the World Trade Organization. The same year, Vietnam hosted President Bush at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi .............................................................................. It has been a remarkable series of developments, and our two countries have come this very long way together. And yet we would not have come this far were it not for the support of Americans who once served in Vietnam in another time, and for the commitment of those Vietnamese officials who wished to build a better future for their people. America and Vietnam have moved on from the past. Each of us has found, in a new era, a place of friendship for a former adversary. Today, the hardest work of normalization is behind us. The time has come, I believe, for us to move from the normalization of our bilateral relations to a modernization of our ties commensurate with Vietnam’s rising status in the region and in the world. We should not simply rest on our laurels and allow the relationship to plateau. It is time to take the next step. The further strengthening of our relationship should occur not only because of the unprecedented economic transformation of Vietnam and the extraordinary progress of our relations in the last two decades, but also because of the historic shift of economic power from the western world to Asia. As the rise of China demonstrates so vividly, Asia is gaining in prosperity relative to the rest of the world with each passing year. In light of this phenomenon, some experts have decreed the American century a thing of the past and have declared this the “Asian century.” To call it such, however, embraces a kind of zero-sum thinking that is itself rooted in the past. U.S. and Asian ascendancy are not mutually exclusive, nor should we let them become so. If leaders on both continents grasp the opportunity inherent in this essential truth, we can usher in an unprecedented era: a 21st century that is both American and Asian. And in this new era, I believe, Vietnam will have a critical role to play...........Resisting the anti-globalization forces requires certain actions in Vietnam as well. By improving lawful governance and further opening this society, your already dynamic economy will thrive even more. By modernizing your infrastructure and embracing clean environmental principles, Vietnam can reap more of the benefits the global economic system offers. Such steps are, I believe, not simply desirable, but necessary...........This change - which includes expanding social freedoms, allowing greater freedom of expression, releasing all individuals imprisoned for peacefully expressing their views, improving human rights, and widening the scope for political activity – would be of historic magnitude. Tolerance of competing views is a sign of strength, not weakness, and if there is one trait that the people of Vietnam have exhibited over the decades, it is strength. The world has taken note of signs of political change in China, ranging from local elections to a more independent legislature to a more independent and robust judiciary. By taking steps toward greater political liberalization here, Vietnam has the chance not simply to match these accomplishments but to surpass them. You could become a model for others to emulate. And you would ensure that, over time, relations with the United States are anchored not in the shifting sands of mutual economic and security interests, but in the bedrock of shared values. Vietnam’s leaders are the custodians of extraordinary accomplishments that in a very short time have transformed an economy and a people. You are responsible for protecting and extending those accomplishments, just as America’s leaders are responsible for encouraging the progress of our society. The last century, even with its terrible wars and untold hardships, will surely be considered great among the epochs of history for the overall advance of freedom over its opposite, prosperity over poverty, the rights of all over the privileges of a few. This task is not yet complete, however, not in Washington and not in Hanoi. History has assigned humanity’s further progress to us; to the world’s leaders who have the responsibility to see us through our present difficulties without losing faith in the principles and practices that have advanced the fortunes of mankind beyond the most hopeful expectations of previous generations. That is our shared responsibility, and it is an honor I welcome, as I welcome the privilege today of addressing a new generation of leaders in this country, who with a new generation of leaders in mine, will write a new and better chapter in the history of relations between Vietnam and the United States Nguồn:Ðại sứ quán Hoa Kỳ tại Việt Nam    more »

What’s at stake: the readoption of Father Ly (Reverend Nguyen Van Ly) of Viet Nam by Group 19, Amnesty International USA. Amnesty International Group 19 in Palo Alto, California, is the re-adoption campaign manager for Father Nguyen Van Ly, imprisoned in Viet Nam after an infamous trial on March 30, 2007, in which his mouth was muzzled by a Security Officer in the courtroom when he tried to speak. Father Ly is once again a Prisoner of Conscience in the Individuals at Risk program of Amnesty International USA in Atlanta, Georgia, while he begins his 17th year in totality of imprisonment since 1977. He has been in solitary confinement at BaSao prison for the past two years. Father Ly is one of the organizers of the online petition calling for Constitutional reform and free elections signed first by 118 Vietnamese citizens on April 08, 2006. Many of the signators, known as Bloc 8406, are in prison in Viet Nam since that internet publication. Father Ly is an editor of an internet newspaper, “Tu Do Ngon Luan” (Free Speech). Four others who assisted him were also accused of 'propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam'. Nguyen Phong and Nguyen Binh Thanh were given prison sentences of five and six years and the remaining two, both women, were given eighteen months suspended jail terms with house arrest. At least 30 dissidents have been handed down long prison sentences since the most recent wave of arrests began in 2006. An unknown number of others are held in pre-trial detention. The authorities also use administrative detention to place restrictions on the peaceful activities of religious and political dissidents such as the Venerable Thich Quang Do, Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist church of Viet Nam, under house arrest at the monastery for more than twenty-five years. In a trial in the city of Hue on 30 March 2007, Father Nguyen Van Ly was sentenced to eight years in prison for "conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam" under Article 88 (1a-c) of the Penal Code. Human rights conditions in Viet Nam are under periodic (every four years) review by the United Nations Human Relations Council on May 8, 2009. The United States is not a member of this body, having been rejected for re-election to the predecessor organization, the UN Human Rights Commission, in 2001. At the same time, well-known repressive states such as Sudan and Uganda, were elected. This caused so much criticism worldwide over the effectiveness of the UN Human Rights Commission that it was scrapped in 2006, with the implementation of the U.N. Human Relations Council which has periodic reviews of the member states. The United States voted against the resolution forming the Council in 2006. The Obama administration announced on April 1, 2009 that it is seeking election to a seat on the UNHRC on the grounds of inclusion as the best means of solution to international issues of human rights. Amnesty International plays an active role in the deliberations of the UNHRC as an NGO which submits reviews of human rights records of member states. The review of Viet Nam is addressed by a group of NGO (NonGovernmental Organizations) from submission made by procedural rules in November 2008. Amnesty International is one of these organizations, who are called 'stakeholders' in United Nations protocol. Conditions in Viet Nam expressed by Amnesty International are excerpted here: OPEN ARTICLE FOR FULL TEXT ************************************************************************************* Other stakeholders who submitted reports on human rights in Viet Nam include Human Rights Watch, the International Federation of Human Rights and Viet Nam Committee on Human Rights (FIDH and VCHR), and International PEN. HISTORY: In September 1977, Father Ly was arrested for distributing two essays by Archbishop Nguyen Kim Dien critical of the government’s religious repression. He was given a 20 year sentence and sent to a labor camp near Hue. Several months later, authorities released Father Ly, but prohibited him from engaging in religious activities. Again from 1983-1992 he was in prison for his activism in support of freedom of expression and religion, leading a pilgrimage. In October 2001, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his online publication of an essay on human rights violations in Vietnam and was a Prisoner of Conscience of Amnesty International and International PEN. He was released under amnesty in February 2005. In a trial in the city of Hue on 30 March 2007, Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly, aged 60, was sentenced to eight years in prison for “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam” under Article 88 of the Penal Code. Accusations leveled against him included involvement in the pro-democracy movement Bloc 8406 and taking part in the establishment of banned political groups. Group 19 in California welcomed a former Prisoner of Conscience who was released by the Vietnamese authorities in 1991 after an international writing campaign, the dissident poet Nguyen Chi Thien. His final imprisonment was at Ba Sao Camp, in a communal cell with Father Nguyen Van Ly. The two were imprisoned on the same charge: ‘conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.’ Nguyen Chi Thien’s propaganda was poetry, which he composed in his memory while incarcerated for a total of twenty-seven years beginning in 1961 in North Vietnam. During a brief period of release in 1979 he ran into the British Embassy in Hanoi with a manuscript which he asked to have published “in the Free World.” Although he was not given asylum by the Embassy, the diplomats sent the manuscript of 400 poems to the Foreign Office in London, where it was given to Professor Patrick Honey of the School of Oriental and African Studies. In 1984 a translation of “Flowers From Hell” by Huynh Sanh Thong was published in bilingual text by the Yale Council on Southeast Asia Studies. In 1985 the volume won the International Poetry Prize in Rotterdam while the author was in prison in Hanoi (the ‘Hanoi Hilton’). It was not known whether the author were alive or dead. The poet Nguyen Chi Thien, who immigrated to the United States in 1995 and is now an American citizen, has this statement for Amnesty International on March 27, 2009: “To Amnesty International for what they have done to save political dissidents from jail! My profoundest gratitude.” And to the government of Viet Nam on the occasion of United Nations Human Relations Council Review on May 8, 2009: “If a country respects human rights and liberty it will become stronger and more powerful in prestige and international relations. Therefore, the Vietnamese government had better release Father Ly and other political prisoners. There are many examples to prove this viewpoint: the United States of America, France, England, the Netherlands, and Japan all developed peacefully and rapidly. Prison is not a good solution to consolidate the Regime. Almost all dictatorships collapsed, which is a good history lesson.” Nguyen Chi Thien http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2009/4/5/4144621.html *********************************************** Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review Member, Amnesty International USA Group 19 Case coordinator for Individual at Risk Reverend Nguyen Van Ly   more »

Human rights conditions in Viet Nam are under periodic (every four years) review by the United Nations Human Relations Council on May 8, 2009. The United States is not a member of this body, having been rejected for re-election to a seat to the predecessor organization, the UN Human Relations Commission in 2001. Under the Bush administration, the U.S. voted against formation of the new body, the UN Human Relations Council, in 2006. The Obama administration announced yesterday (April 1, 2009) it is seeking membership on the grounds of inclusion as the best means of solution to international issues of human rights. **************************************************************** The periodic review of Viet Nam is addressed by twelve NGO (NonGovernmental Organizations) from submission made by procedural rules in November 2008. The review of Viet Nam is addressed by a group of NGO (NonGovernmental Organizations) from submission made by procedural rules in November 2008. Amnesty International is one of these organizations, who are called 'stakeholders' in United Nations protocol. Conditions in Viet Nam expressed by Amnesty International are excerpted here: 36. AI stated that the authorities frequently use provisions of the Penal Code to stifle freedom of expression, including criticism of government policies, and reference to issues considered as politically sensitive.46 AI further stated that the authorities continue to try to control and restrict Internet traffic deemed undesirable. Many of those arrested in the on-going crackdown include lawyers, trade unionists, religious leaders and political activists who are loosely connected through Bloc 8406, an Internet based pro-democracy movement formed on 8 April 2006, and with other un-authorized political groups advocating democracy and human rights. Charges laid against dissidents often include references to sending and placing information on the Internet aimed at “slandering” and “distorting” government policies. 37. AI called on the Government to: repeal or amend provisions in the 1999 Penal Code to ensure that ambiguous provisions relating to national security are clearly defined or removed, so they cannot be applied in an arbitrary manner to stifle legitimate dissent, debate, opposition and freedom of expression; repeal provisions in the 1999 Penal Code allowing house arrest or probation used to violate freedom of expression and assembly; and remove all restrictions and arbitrary interference on the operation and use of the Internet that violate the right to freedom of expression and end practices, such as censorship, and surveillance. 38. AI further called on the Government to: end restrictions on the right to practice one’s religion of choice without discrimination, in accordance with Article 69 and 70 of the Constitution as well as international human rights law; ensure that relevant authorities are aware of their duty to protect individuals’ right to freedom of religion; take measures to ensure protection of the right to peaceful expression of political beliefs; take all necessary measures to end restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; ensure that police officers are made aware of their duty to protect the human rights of all individuals; immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience; and invite the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression to visit Viet Nam. *********************************************************************************** Other stakeholders who submitted reports on human rights in Viet Nam include Human Rights Watch, the International Federation of Human Rights and Viet Nam Committee on Human Rights (FIDH and VCHR), and International PEN. Stephen Denney, country coordinator of Viet Nam for Amnesty International USA, sends the following references: OPEN ARTCLE FOR URLs. *********************************************************************** Amnesty International Group 19 in Palo Alto, California, is the re-adoption campaign manager for Father Nguyen Van Ly, imprisoned in Viet Nam after an infamous trial on March 30, 2007, in which his mouth was muzzled by a Security Officer in the courtroom when he tried to speak. Father Ly is once again a Prisoner of Conscience in the Individuals at Risk program of Amnesty International USA while he begins his 17th year in totality of imprisonment since 1976. He has been in solitary confinement at BaSao prison for the past two years. Petitions which address the periodic review of Viet Nam by the UNHRC, in English and in Vietnamese, are ttached to this full posting and to the photograph on my blog, VietAm Review. The deadline for return to Amnesty International Group 19 is April 30, 2009. The signed petitions will be sent to the VN Embassy in Washington D.C., with copies to the US Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate in HCM City.    more »

UPDATE: United States seeking a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. Daily Press Conference, April 1, 2009 QUESTION: According to The Washington Post, the Obama Administration has decided to seek a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, reversing a decision by the Bush Administration to shun the UN’s premier rights body to protest the repressive states among its membership. Do you have anything on that? MR. DUGUID: We released a statement on this yesterday. I trust that you have seen that. QUESTION: Yes. MR. DUGUID: The statement was fairly extensive. And yes, we are going to seek a seat on the Human Rights Council. We believe that by engaging in the council that we can advance the cause of human rights around the globe. This is a part of the active engagement by the Obama Administration, and we look forward to participating in this forum. QUESTION: Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, said that this decision was a part of engagement in U.S. foreign policy. Any response to this effect? MR. DUGUID: I think Ambassador Rice speaks for the Department on this issue, as it is a UN forum. I don’t have anything to add to earlier remarks. QUESTION: And the last. Any response to the decision which was criticized by the U.S. conservatives who regarded the council as fatally flawed? MR. DUGUID: I think I’ve explained earlier that we feel that by engaging we can improve the record of the Human Rights Council and we can try and improve human rights around the world by this engagement. QUESTION: Thank you, sir. MR. DUGUID: Thank you. QUESTION: Recently, you announced U.S. is running for a seat on UN Human Rights Council, which Bush Administration opposed to. MR. WOOD: Right. QUESTION: Is that decision based on the policy review on Bush Administration’s human right policy? MR. WOOD: Okay, our – the reason why we have decided to seek election to the Human Rights Council is because after this review – and it was a very thorough review that was undertaken by the Administration – we believe that it’s important to try to promote human rights by being in the council instead of outside. And as Secretary Clinton and President Obama have said, human rights is at the forefront of our foreign policy. And we believe that the only way that we can make the changes that we want to see in the Human Rights Council is to be in that council. And so that was the basis of the decision. ********************************************************************************** East Asia and the Pacific: UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Calls for Release of Political Prisoners in Burma Tuesday, March 24, 2009 3:07 PM From: "U.S. Department of State" To: editor@vietamreview.net East Asia and the Pacific: UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Calls for Release of Political Prisoners in Burma Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:52:44 -0500 UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Calls for Release of Political Prisoners in Burma Robert Wood Acting Department Spokesman, Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC March 24, 2009 The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued opinions today affirming that the continued detentions of Aung San Suu Kyi, Aung Myin, Ko Jimmy, Paw Oo Tun, and Mtay Win Aung are arbitrary and unjustified and that the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi is in contravention of Burma’s own law. The U.N. working group urged the Burmese government to release these individuals immediately. We are disappointed that the regime continues to ignore the calls of the international community, including the UN Security Council, to release the more than 2,100 political prisoners immediately and unconditionally. We once again urge the Burmese authorities to release all political prisoners and initiate a genuine dialogue that can help move the country forward. # # # PRN: 2009/254 *********************************************************************    more »