As a Vietnamese-American who has fought peacefully for human rights and democracy in Vietnam. I was held 38 days in jail last fall 2006 for reasons regarding these activities. Without the support of US Congressional members, Zoe Lofgren and Loretta Sanchez, Senators Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein and the Governor of California, the Vietnamese communities around the world, my family and many others. I would not be able to testify today. I have done nothing wrong but to promote and defend the values that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly declares “as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society”. Testimony of Cong Thanh Do, People's Democratic Party of Vietnam   more »

220 sự kiện nổi bật của Phong Trào tranh đấu Dân Chủ Nhân Quyền Việt Nam trong năm 2007 Năm 2007 sắp trôi qua, trong năm 2007 các hoạt động tranh đấu dân chủ nhân quyền cho Việt Nam diễn ra sôi động khắp nơi ở trong nước và trên thế giới rất nhiều và khó có thể liệt kê hết tất cả, những sự kiện dân chủ này không bao giờ có mặt trên hơn 700 tờ báo quốc doanh của cầm quyền độc tài toàn trị cộng sản Việt nam. Bản liệt kê những hoạt động dân chủ nhân quyền điển hình diễn ra trong năm 2007 cho nên có thể hơi dài, xin quí vị giữ kiên nhẫn khi đọc để có thể thấy được quá trình tranh đấu dân chủ nhân quyền không mệt mỏi của người dân Việt nam ở trong và ngoài nước cùng với sự hỗ trợ của cộng đồng dư luận quốc tế tiến bộ văn minh khắp nơi trên thế giới ủng hộ cho một Việt Nam dân chủ thực sự, chứng minh một điều đã thành chân lý là Tự Do không tự nhiên mà có mà phải trải qua cả một quá trình tranh đấu mãnh liệt. Sau đây Nhóm Phóng Viên Dân Chủ Nhân Quyền chúng tôi chỉ muốn đưa ra tổng kết những sự kiện nổi bật của Phong Trào tranh đấu Dân Chủ Nhân Quyền Việt Nam trong năm 2007 đã diễn ra:   more »

PARIS, 28th December 2007 (IBIB) - In the wake of widespread demonstrations staged by students and young people outside Chinese Embassies in Hanoi and Saigon, and strong protests by the Vietnamese community overseas, the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do, prominent dissident and Deputy leader of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) has issued a strong statement on the controversy over the disputed Paracel and Spratly archipelagos. Sent clandestinely from the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in Saigon, it was received by the International Buddhist Information Bureau in Paris today. Writing on behalf of the UBCV’s Bi-Cameral leadership (the Institute of the Sangha and the Institute for the Dissemination of the Dharma), Thich Quang Do called on the Hanoi authorities to “pass the reins of power to the people in a society based on the separation of the three powers, multi-party democracy and the rule of law” as the best way to safeguard Vietnam’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Because “three million Communist Party members and a 500,000-strong army have neither the authority nor the power to defend the homeland by military means, nor sufficient prestige and courage to expand political and diplomatic efforts to mobilize international support in our defence… they need the full participation of the 85 million Vietnamese population and the support of the Vietnamese Diaspora worldwide”. As a first step, Hanoi must “immediately abrogate Article 4 of the Vietnamese Constitution [on the political monopoly of the Communist Party], and enable all sectors of the Vietnamese population, including all religious and political families, to freely and fully participate in the process of national salvation”. The UBCV Deputy leader also called on Hanoi to summon the people for a “Dien Hong” Conference for the XXIst century” to initiate a process of reconciliation and democratic change. Thich Quang Do emphasized the role of Buddhism as an essential element in this process : “With our responsibility as Vietnamese citizens, and as representatives of a religion that has contributed to the foundation and development of our nation over the past 2,000 years, the Council of the Bi-Cameral Institute of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam cannot stand by silently whilst our country is in danger. We therefore solemnly appeal to the Vietnamese intelligentsia, inside and outside Vietnam, to stand together and rally forces to save our nation. The Council of the Bi-Cameral Institute of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam pledges to give its active support to every peaceful effort to protect our homeland and our people”. Interesting historical documentation from the Chinese Yuan Dynasty period. Conclusion: With our responsibility as Vietnamese citizens, and as representatives of a religion that has contributed to the foundation and development of our nation over the past 2,000 years, the Council of the Bi-Cameral Institute of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam cannot stand by silently whilst our country is in danger. We therefore call upon the Vietnamese intelligentsia, inside and outside Vietnam, to stand together and rally forces to save our nation. The Council of the Bi-Cameral Institute of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam pledges to give its active support to every peaceful effort to protect our homeland and our people.   more »

Description of history of invasions of Vietnamese archipelagos by China, particularly 1974 (South Vietnam) and 1988 (Socialist Vietnam). Protests secret treaty by Communist government. Praises demonstrations in Hanoi and Saigon. Signed by Bloc 8406 Acting Representatives - Do Nam Hai, Engineer, Saigon, Vietnam - Nguyen Chinh Ket, Professor, Saigon, Vietnam (On duty in overseas) - Tran Anh Kim, Former Officer of Armed Forces of Vietnam, Thai Binh Province, Vietnam - Peter Phan Van Loi, Roman Catholic Priest, City of Hue, Vietnam - Nguyen Xuan Nghia, Novelist, Hai Phong Province, Vietnam English version by Viet Si, San Jose, California, dedicated activist for Democracy & Human Rights in Vietnam   more »

The Vietnamese Canadian Federation, in collaboration with the Vietnamese Human Rights Association of Ontario, and the Vietnamese communities in Quebec and Ontario, will hold a demonstration in front of the embassies of China (515 St. Patrick St.) and Vietnam (470 Wilbrod St.) in Ottawa, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., on Saturday, December 22, 2007, to protest against the take-over of the Vietnamese archipelagoes of Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) and Truong Sa (Spratly Islands) by the Chinese government with the collusion of the Vietnamese Communist government.   more »

Vietnam Currents by Hai V. Tran returns to publication with the topic of students demonstrations in Vietnam in opposition to Chinese hegemony and historical roots in Communist takeover of Vietnam in 1975 and executions by Ho Chi Minh in the Land Reform of 1955-56. Articles in Vietnamese by [Fr] Phan Van Loi in Hue and Bloc 8406 dissident Vietnamese cite this history and encourage the students in Vietnam with spontaneous demonstrations.   more »

PARIS, 13th December 2007 (IBIB) - The International Buddhist Information Bureau is informed that UBCV Supreme Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang has rejected an invitation from the Ministry of Public Security to attend the “6th Nation-wide Congress of Buddhist Representatives for 2007-2012” (i.e. the 6th Congress of the State-sponsored Vietnam Buddhist Church, set up under Communist Party control in 1981) that opens in Hanoi today (13.12.2007). 2008 UN Vesak Day International Organising Committee in Hanoi abusively lists name of UBCV dignitary Thich Thien Tam: On the International Organising Committee (IOC) of the 2008 United Nations Vesak Day (Birth of Buddha) which has just been made public on the official website, Buddhists at home and abroad were deeply disturbed to see the name of UBCV dignitary Thich Thien Tam, Head of the Canadian Overseas UBCV’s Advisory Board Secretariat and Commissioner for Canadian Affairs of the new Overseas UBCV Office. In fact, Venerable Thich Thien Tam has never been invited to be an IOC member, nor informed that his name was being used. In a letter to Professor Le Manh That, Chairman of the 2008 Vesak IOC in Hanoi, Thich Thien Tam denounced the abuse of his name as a “dubious and unlawful move to create confusion and divisions within the Buddhist community in Vietnam and overseas”. He demanded that his name be immediately withdrawn. Thich Thien Tam deplored that the 2008 UN Vesak Day would be organised by the Communist authorities and the State-sponsored Vietnam Buddhist Church not to truly commemorate Lord Buddha’s Birth, but to parade an illusory “religious freedom” for international public opinion, whilst continuing to ruthlessly muzzle and repress the independent UBCV.   more »

There are two articles in Vietnamese in the current issue of Viet Tribune and Viet Bao which discuss Madison Nguyen, who is the target of the recall campaign. Here is the link to Viet Bao, with the article by Bui Van Phu Truất Nhiệm Nghị Viên Madison Nguyễn? http://www.vietbao.com/?ppid=45&pid=115&nid=119618 The article in Viet Tribune by Vy Truonggia Trao ðổi với nghị viên Madison Nguyễn http://www.viettribune.com/vt/index.php?id=1730 I encourage all Vietnamese language readers to consult these articles while participating in the democratic process of community meetings and possible recall. If a referendum had occurred as recommended by the San Jose Mercury News, it would not have affected the position of Madison Nguyen as Council member until time for election in 2010. It would only have involved the name of the business district as voted by the San Jose City Council on November 20. Those who have called the community meeting have stated that it is open to all points of view and media. G.I. FORUM 765 Story Road, San Jose, CA 95122 December 9, 2007 2 to 6 p.m. I hope this analysis in English will be helpful to people concerned about democracy issues and Councilwoman Madison Nguyen.   more »

Tiếng Vọng Từ Hoả Lò by Bùi Văn Phú in Viet Tribune, November 30, 2007. Summary in English by Jean Libby, editor, VietAm Review. “Echo from Hoa Lo” by Phu Bui, a student at UC Berkeley in 1981 and today a journalist and public school science teacher, was published in the Vietnamese language newspaper Viet Tribune on November 30, 2007. “Tiếng Vọng Từ Hoả Lò” is the story of the original event at Kroeber Hall on May 1, 1981, which discussed the plight of prisoners and the prison system in Communist Vietnam. The students did this by arranging the event with the Amnesty International Campus Network, particularly Laola Hironaka. They invited former prisoners at the reedcuation camps who had made it to the United States as Boat People refugees to come. The students learned that the author of the anonymous poems “Tieng Vong Tu Day Vuc”, (Echo From the Abyss) which had surfaced among Vietnamese exiles in 1980 was Nguyen Chi Thien, still in prison in Hanoi at Hoa Lo. They were the first to publicly proclaim him as the author with a recitation of his poems in Vietnamese and English translation, which was accomplished by Nguyen Khoa Thai Anh, another UC Berkeley student. Some of the poems which had been set to music by Pham Duy were performed by students and Dr. Nguyet Mehlert of San Jose. The author Phu Bui describes his feelings in creating the program just six years after the fall of Saigon. The escape of Boat People had begun in 1978; by 1980 the Refugee Act allowed admission of new exiles who would become Americans but were then suffering from the hardships of refugee camps in foreign Asian countries. Phu Bui has traveled to Hanoi and been drawn to the Hoa Lo prison museum. He writes that the reeducation camps are closed and the inmates relocated to other prisons. There is still need for attention to human rights in Vietnam and for Prisoners of Conscience throughout the world. Original article in Vietnamese: http://www.viettribune.com/vt/index.php?id=1679 translation for the English summary was made by phuocDiem Truong of San Jose. The poster for the May 1, 1981 event from the Collection of Bui Van Phu is attached.   more »