Urgent Plea to the government of Vietnam asking for the safe return of our husbands. Khẩn Kêu Gọi Trả Tự Do Cho Chồng Chúng Tôi.   more »

"Please God the gentleman will find the peace he seeks and the justice he deserves" -- email from Marcel Matley, handwriting expert in San Francisco who tested the handwriting and the physical manuscript in October 2008. IT IS A SAD FACT OF LIFE THAT PROMINENT FIGURES WILL BE HARASSED TO TRY TO DISCREDIT THEM -- EITHER FOR POLITICAL OR MONETARY GAIN. IN THE CASE OF THE LEGENDARY NGUYEN CHI THIEN, HIS HANDWRITING FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT HOA DIA NGUC AND HIS SUBSEQUENT WRITING AFTER IMMIGRATING TO THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN ANALYZED BY EXPERT MARCEL B. MATLEY OF SAN FRANCISCO. THIS ANALYSIS TOOK PLACE IN OCTOBER 2008.THE HANDWRITING IS THE SAME IN 1979, 1994, 1995, 2005, 2007 and 2008. There is only one Nguyen Chi Thien, who barely survived twenty-seven years imprisonment in Communist Vietnam between 1961 and 1991. Not even the totalitarian war criminal Ho Chi Minh could break his will or his gift for poetry. www.vietamreview.net/handwriting.html Thông Tin Báo Chí Sách mới của Nguyễn Chí Thiện ấn hành bằng song ngữ Hai Truyện Tù – Câu truyện về hai mảnh đời trong tù bằng Việt và Anh ngữ. Sách bìa mỏng, dày 170 trang, giá bán 20 Mỹ Kim. ISBN 097736386-4. Nguyễn Chí Thiện là một tù nhân chính trị của nhà cầm quyền cộng sản Bắc Việt gần 27 năm. Ông đã nhận được giải thưởng Thi Văn Thế Giới năm1985 trong lúc không một ai biết ông còn sống hay đã chết. Ông đã bị cùm xích tại nhà lao Hỏa Lò (Hanoi Hilton) vì đã mang được một cách bất ngờ bản thảo tập thơ Hoa Địa Ngục của ông đến tòa đại sứ Anh Quốc tại Hà Nội năm 1979. Quyển sách này là một phương thức tuyệt hảo để học hỏi cả hai ngôn ngữ Việt - Mỹ, và đáp ứng cho giới trẻ Việt Nam, những người cần biết sự thật từ các chứng nhân lịch sử còn sống sót dưới chế độ Cộng Sản bằng sức mạnh của tinh thần và ý chí. Sách cũng thích hợp cho phụ huynh của họ, những người đã vượt thoát cuộc hành trình bằng thuyền để trở thành người tị nạn và bắt đầu xây dựng đời sống mới với nỗi đau quá khứ không bao giờ quên lãng. Cuốn sách này còn giúp cho những sinh viên Việt Nam lớn lên dưới chế độ Cộng Sản, những kẻ đã khước từ tìm hiểu về các tác phẩm văn học của những nhà trí thức chính trị bị giam cầm. Biên tập Anh Ngữ và xuất bản do Jean Libby, Palo Alto, California. Trình bày và hiệu đính Việt ngữ do CN Trần Trung Ngọc, San Jose. Bài Phỏng vấn Nguyễn Chí Thiện của phóng viên Bùi Văn Phú được ấn bản bằng Việt ngữ cùng với sự trao trả bản thảo gốc tập thơ của ông từ Anh Quốc năm 2008. Quyển sách này đang được bán trên Amazon.com, tại Trung Tâm Người Việt Canada (Vietnamese Canadian Centre) tại Ottawa (giá 20 Gia kim), và ở Arlington, Virginia, qua nhà xuất bản Cành Nam. Hai Truyện Tù – Two Prison Life Stories của Nguyễn Chí Thiện được Cộng Đồng Người Việt tại Úc (Vietnamese Community in Australia) tài trợ và cũng đang được bán tại đó. Để mua sách trực tiếp và miễn cước phí bưu điện, xin đặt sách tại địa chỉ trên Net www.AtoZproductions.com hay gửi email đến editor@vietamreview.net Biên tập Anh Ngữ và xuất bản do Jean Libby, Palo Alto, California. Trình bày và hiệu đính Việt ngữ do CN Trần Trung Ngọc, San Jose. Bài Phỏng vấn Nguyễn Chí Thiện từ phóng viên Bùi Văn Phú được ấn bản bằng Việt ngữ cùng với sự trao trả bản thảo gốc tập thơ của ông từ Anh Quốc năm 2008. Quyễn sách đang bán trên Amazon.com, the Vietnamese Canadian Centre in Ottawa (Giá 20 Gia kim), và ở Arlington, Virginia, tại Cành Nam Press. Hai Truyện Tù – Two Prison Life Stories của Nguyễn Chí Thiện được tài trợ từ Australian LyHuong.net và cũng đang được bán tại Úc. Để mua sách trực tiếp và miễn cước phí bưu điện, xin đặt sách tại địa chỉ trên Net www.AtoZproductions.com hay gửi email đến editor@vietamreview.net Jean Libby, editor Allies for Freedom publishers 1222 Fulton Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301 www.AtoZproductions.com PRESS RELEASE NEW BOOK BY NGUYEN CHI THIEN PUBLISHED IN BILINGUAL TEXT Hai Truyen Tu – Two Prison Life Stories in Vietnamese and English. 170 pages, paperback, $20 USD. Date of publication: October 20, 2008. Nguyen Chi Thien was a political prisoner in Communist North Vietnam for twenty-seven years. He won the International Poetry prize in 1985 while it was not known if he were alive or dead. He was in chains at the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ for smuggling his manscript of poems “Hoa Dia Nguc” into the British Embassy in 1979. This book is excellent for language learning in both directions – English and Vietnamese. It is suitable for youth who want to learn the true Vietnamese history of surviving the Communist regime by force of will and spirit. It is suitable for their parents who survived the perilous journey by boats to become refugees who have built their new lives while not forgetting the old one. It is suitable for students who have grown up in Vietnam under the Communist regime who are denied learning about the intellectual political prisoners of the regime and their literature. The editor and publisher is Jean Libby, of Palo Alto, California. The Vietnamese language and graphics editor is CN Tran Trung Ngoc of San Jose. An interview of Nguyen Chi Thien by the BBC journalist Bui Van Phu is published in Vietnamese, including the return of his original manuscript from London in 2008. The book is available online at Amazon.com. the Vietnamese Canadian Centre in Ottawa (price 20 Canadian dollars), and in Arlington, Virginia, at Canh Nam Press. Hai Truyen Tu – Two Prison Life Stories by Nguyen Chi Thien is supported by the Australian Vietnamese Federation and is in stock now in Australia. To order direct and receive free shipping and group discount, go online to www.AtoZproductions.com or send an email to editor@vietamreview.net    more »

Tho Nguyen Chi Thien total coverage, including video of press conference October 25, 2008 http://anhduong.info/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=63&Itemid=91 Trả lời ông Thuy Dang: Vô ích, hôm nay không ai xem được bản chính, ngay cả tôi cũng chưa xem được dù hôm qua tôi có đến gặp ông Thiện: ông nói rằng đã cất cẩn thận trong "safe box" vì sợ kẻ gian thủ tiêu rồi mọi người sẽ kết án ông Thiện là thủ tiêu vật chứng! Ông cũng không đưa ra chiều nay vì sợ kẻ gian sẽ xông lên mỗi người chiếm một mảnh chạy mất xé tan nát thì ông cũng sẽ bị lên án! Tuy nhiên ông hứa trong tương lai gần sẽ cho tôi xem, rồi chụp hình, quay phim gì tùy ý, và tôi sẽ làm việc này, sẽ đưa lên NET để giải đáp thắc mắc đồng hương! Vậy xin mọi người kiên nhẫn, chuyện đâu còn có đó Hiện tại trong số bạn bè ông Thiện ở Orange County có nhiều người đã thấy cuốn sách và có thể ra làm chứng chiều nay . Vấn đề Tin Paris nói rằng VNTP có bản chính là láo khóet, ai mà tin được Tin Paris, tòa Đại Sứ Anh cũng không thể làm việc bất cẩn như thế, trao ra bản chính cho người vô can, và nếu quý vị cần biết sự thật thì nên hỏi ông Đỗ Văn, vì ông Chủ Nhiệm báo VNTP đã chết và cái "bản chính" đó cũng không ai có cả! Đây là bài báo VNTP, chẳng hề thấy nói rằng "bản của VNTP là bản chính", (mà cho dù họ có nói họ có bản chính, thì bản chính ấy cũng là bản copy từ tòa ĐS Anh mà thôi! Họ nói bản chính cho oai, vì ngòai họ ra không ai có bản nào từ tòa ĐS Anh cả) http://anhduong.net/biemthi/VNTP-NCT-1994.htm Thuan Nhà Thơ Nguyễn Chí Thiện Mời Đồng Hương Nhà thơ Nguyễn Chí Thiện hôm Thứ Người viết: Administrator 17/10/2008 Nhà Thơ Nguyễn Chí Thiện Mời Đồng Hương Nhà thơ Nguyễn Chí Thiện hôm Thứ Năm 16-10-2008 đã tới thăm tòa soạn Việt Báo, và nhờ chuyển lời mời đồng hương tham dự buổi “họp báo công khai để bạch hóa một số vấn đề và trả lời về nghi vấn liên quan tới tự dạng trong thư tôi viết bằng Pháp ngữ 29 năm trước và thư tôi viết cho giáo sư Nguyễn Ngọc Bích ngày 6 tháng 12 năm 1995,” theo bản Thư Mời do nhà thơ phổ biến. Nhà thơ Nguyễn Chí Thiện cho biết họp báo sẽ bắt đầu từ 16 giờ đến 18 giờ chiều ngày Thứ Bảy 25-10-2008, tại Phòng hội khách sạn Ramada, 10022 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843. (ĐT: (800) 917-5555. Nhà thơ trứơc giờ vốn ưa thích sự im lặng, nhưng, theo lời giải thích, “lần này, nhiều thân hữu và bà con trong cộng đồng đề nghị tôi là đã đến lúc cần làm sáng tỏ một vấn đề tuy bề mặt có vẻ chỉ liên hệ đến cá nhân tôi nhưng thực chất lại ảnh hưởng tới nỗ lực đấu tranh chống kẻ thù chung của chúng ta là cộng sản.” Nhà thơ Nguyễn Chí Thiện sinh năm 1939, đã bị CSVN tống giam ba lần, tổng cộng ở tù gần ba thập niên. Ông nổi tiếng toàn cầu với tập thơ Tiếng Vọng Từ Đáy Vực đưa được vào tòa đaị sứ Anh năm 1979 để xin phổ biến. Nhập cư Mỹ từ tháng 11-1995 do chính phủ Mỹ nhận vào theo diện tù chính trị đặc biệt, trong đó hồ sơ nhập cư Mỹ trên sở di trú INS là do anh ruột là Thiếu Tá Quânbáo VNCH Nguyễn Công Giận thiết lập. Anh Duong online http://anhduong.info/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2363&Itemid=1 Some have heard of the continuing harassment of Nguyen Chi Thien, dissident poet of Vietnam and freedom advocate for the oppressed Vietnamese people. Since his release from Ba Sao Prison in 1991, where he completed twelve years of imprisonment after bringing his manuscript of poems Hoa Dia Nguc to the British Embassy in 1979 with a plea that they be published in the free world, there have been a group of perfidious Vietnamese in the Diaspora who have promulgated the poppycock that the man who survived starvation, torture, and imprisonment for twenty-seven years in Communist Vietnam is not genuine. Evidence that Nguyen Chi Thien, immigrant in 1995 and American citizen since 2004, is the same Nguyen Chi Thien who wrote the manuscript Hoa Dia Nguc in 1979, poems composed in his memory in prison in North Vietnam because he was not allowed paper and pen, was obtained from a certified handwriting expert in Long Beach, California on December 13, 1995. It is published on http://www.vannha.com/NCT/NCT-thatgia.htm. An accompanying audio interview with Thuan Do, editor and publisher of Anh Duong Online is on this file. ********************************************************** Nguyen Chi Thien is regularly published in Vietnamese and English since his immigration to the USA in 1995. He received a fellowship from the International Parliament of Writers in 1998 and wrote Hoa Lo, seven stories of conditions in prison in Hoa Lo (the "Hanoi Hilton") Prison, published in Vietnamese by VICANA (Nguyen Ngoc Bich) in 2001. The seven stories--which are based on true persons and events--were translated by four friends in 2005, and published by Yale University Council on Southeast Asia Studies in 2007. Two of the Hoa Lo Tap Truyen are now published by Allies for Freedom publishers of Palo Alto (Jean Libby) in the middle of October 2008 in bilingual text. The Vietnamese and graphics editor is CN Tran Trung Ngoc of San Jose. Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review editor@vietamreview.net www.vietamreview.net/Hai_Truyen_Tu.html Allies for Freedom publishers    more »

Dear poet Nguyen Chi Thien, Viet Nam Literature Project chose to publish a selection of your works and your new memoir as our first project in order to associate ourselves with the dignity and quality of your life and work. At no time has VNLP ever erased or blocked our publication of your work. I will confirm this statement to the press via voice by telephone at the number below. Dan Dan Duffy Editor, Viet Nam Literature Project Chair, Books & Authors: Viet Nam, Inc. 5600 Buck Quarter Road Hillsborough, NC 27278 USA tel (919) 383-7274 email editor@vietnamlit.org URL www.vietnamlit.org ************************************************************************* Statement from Jean Libby, made at the Ramada Hotel, Garden Grove, October 25, 2008 I have not erased materials on my websites about Nguyen Chi Thien. I have not lost faith in his authenticity as the author of Hoa Dia Nguc, or the international meaning of his life and work as resistance to Communist imprisonment based on forced labor, starvation, and torture. I require Saigon Nho Weekly to publish in the magazine, in Vietnamese, an apology to Dan Duffy and to me. Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review Allies for Freedom publishers 1222 Fulton St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 415-505-5131 tel 650-618-8603 fax www.vietamreview.net email editor@vietamreview.net   more »

Việt Nam nằm trong nhóm 10 nước cuối bảng xếp hạng tự do báo chí do tổ chức Phóng viên không Biên giới đưa ra, trong khi chính phủ nước này tái khẳng định khuyến khích báo chí chống tham nhũng. Việt Nam đứng thứ 168 trong tổng số 173 nước được xếp hạng mà đứng đầu là Iceland và cuối là Eritrea. Thứ hạng của Việt Nam không hơn nhiều so với bộ tam các nước vi phạm tự do trầm trọng nhất, trong có Bắc Triều Tiên, đứng thứ 172. Nước láng giềng Trung Quốc đứng trên Việt Nam một bậc trong khi đứng ngay sát Việt Nam ở phía dưới là Cuba. Hai nước láng giềng khác của Việt Nam, Lào đứng thứ 164 trong khi Campuchia đứng thứ 126. Trong phần tóm tắt riêng về Châu Á, Phóng viên không Biên giới nói Việt Nam tụt sáu bậc trong năm nay do ''trấn áp truyền thông tự do vì quá động chạm khi đưa tin về tham nhũng.'' Trong số các nước công nghiệp phát triển và có ảnh hưởng G8, Hoa Kỳ xếp thứ 36, Canada 13, Đức 20, Anh 23, Nhật 29, Pháp 35, Ý 44.   more »

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been releasing health advisories about foods in the U.S. that were found to be contaminated with melamine, a chemical that has been found in milk and foods/drinks made with milk ingredients from China. Melamine-contaminat ed food can cause kidney stones, kidney failure, and death. The contaminated products found in the U.S., to date, are listed below. We are repeating this information for the Asian-American community, to continue to urge Asian-market retailers (and others) to remove these products from their shelves and to throw them away. If consumers already have these products in their homes, they should throw the products away. A link to the FDA web site also is listed below. If additional foods that contain melamine-contaminat ed dairy ingredients from China are found in the U.S., they will be listed at this site. Readers should check the site often. The melamine contamination was first discovered in China, in infant formula manufactured in China. Since then, other products made with milk ingredients from China have been found to be contaminated with melamine. Such products found in the U.S. are listed below. (Although Chinese infant formula is not allowed in the U.S., and the FDA has not found any in visits to more than 1,800 U.S. stores, consumers should not use any that has been brought into the U.S., and it should not be ordered by internet or mail.) Foods / and drinks in the U.S. found to contain melamine, to date, are as follows. More information about these products can be found at this link: http://www.fda. gov/opacom/ 7alerts.html • Blue Cat Flavor Drinks • Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1) • Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1) • Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1) • Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1) • Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1) • Mr. Brown Mandhling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1) • Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1) • In addition, Creamy White Rabbit Candies have been reported by the California Department of Public Health and others to be contaminated with melamine. To see if other foods contaminated with melamine are being found in the U.S., check the following web site often: http://www.fda. gov/oc/opacom/ hottopics/ melamine. html   more »

Ai tin ai trong quan hệ Mỹ Việt? Bùi Văn Phú Gửi cho BBC từ San Jose, Hoa Kỳ Tại cuộc gặp báo chí Việt ngữ vùng Bắc California hôm 12/10, Đại sứ Hoa Kỳ tại Việt Nam, ông Michael W. Michalak đã cho thấy chính quyền Hoa Kỳ phải giải tỏa sự nghi ngại của cả hai phía: Hà Nội và cộng đồng Mỹ gốc Việt. Trong cuộc gặp tại phòng họp khách sạn Fairmont, San Jose với sự tham dự của 30 phóng viên, một câu hỏi được nêu lên: “Người Việt hải ngoại không tin tưởng gì vào nhà nước Việt Nam. Ông có tin chính phủ Việt Nam không?” Đại Sứ Michalak trả lời vui vui như sau: “Nếu tôi nói tôi tin họ thì quý vị sẽ giết tôi ngay. Còn nếu tôi nói không tin thì họ sẽ giết tôi.” Sau đó ông đưa ra nhận xét thực là giữa hai bên còn có những điều không tin tưởng vào nhau. Chính vì thế, theo ông tất cả cần làm việc chung với nhau để giải toả những điều đó. Ông Đại sứ đã trả lời các câu hỏi liên quan đến nhiều vấn đề trong quan hệ bang giao Hoa Kỳ và Việt Nam như phần ghi những ý chính sau đây http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/story/2008/10/081013_michalaksanjose.shtml ************************************************************************************* The fourth ambassador to Vietnam, Michael H. Michalak, answered questions concerning imprisoned dissidents and future plans for Vietnamese and American cooperation at a press conference organized by Dr. Ngai Nguyen of San Jose on October 12, 2008. “There are seventy political prisoners in Vietnam today,” he told the assembled journalists. “I have met with Father Nguyen Van Ly , Le Thi Cong Nhan, and Nguyen Van Dai in prison and their families outside of prison.” When asked by Đời Mới Vietnamese Weekly Magazine of San Jose he noted the courage of the imprisoned Bloc 8406 leaders to “express their convictions and take the consequences.” The ambassador strongly reinforced support for free expression, free association, and freedom on the press in Vietnam. Answering the question about the Catholics in Thai Ha, the ambassador carefully answered that “the U.S. government does not involve itself in Thai Ha.” However, he has met with Rev. Kiet, and advised the Vietnamese government to set up a system to resolve land issues. The ambassador predicted that demonstrations will continue if the VN government doesn’t methodically deal with the “hot-button” issue of land disputes. He referred to the demonstrations in Saigon last year by peasants as another example. Communication with Vietnamese Americans was of particular interest to the gathered journalists. The editor of Viet Nam Daily News asked about having a town hall meeting in San Jose as there was in Orange County. Ambassador Michalak replied that possibly there would be one next year. Another representative from the Viet Nam Daily News suggested that a planned Vietnamese consulate in Houston would be objected to by Vietnamese Americans. Was the Ambassador willing to consider the views of Vietnamese Americans? His response can best be understood by viewing the video of the press conference the press conference by Viet Nam Daily News: http://www.vietnamdaily.com/index.php?c=article&p=46900 ********************************************************************************* The subject of the safety of foods from Vietnam was introduced by Bui Van Phu. Ambassador Michalak responded that the issues of contamination as in China could not occur in Vietnam. He encourages the government to protect “the Vietnam brand” by embracing “global standards” of processing and safety. He sees the present economic crisis as beneficial to Vietnamese exports, which are primarily food and textiles. The United States is the largest importer of Vietnamese goods, he stated. The major aspect of the current economic crisis that is a negative influence on Vietnam is the effect of financial losses to Vietnamese Americans (whom he called “overseas Vietnamese”) on the remittances to relatives in Vietnam. This is a significant part of the GNP of Vietnam—at least 10%--and those economic losses may be a permanent negative on this historic practice. ******************************************************************************** The question that Jean Libby raised as editor of Viet Am Review is to place ten books by the renowned poet Nguyen Chi Thien in the library of the American Embassy in Hanoi for research and reference. His response was positive but noncommittal and I was directed to send them through the State Dept. in Washington D.C. Nguyen Chi Thien has been an American citizen since 2004 and this would be an appropriate location for his work that is not allowed in schools or libraries by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, who imprisoned him for twenty-seven years, beginning in 1961, for the crime of “anti-Propaganda.”   more »

Dear San Jose Mercury News Editor, Reference is made to Lisa Krieger's article on "Little Saigon." How can Ms. Krieger be so ignorant? How can she take a communist song to be the Republic of Vietnam national anthem when for 21 years, the Republic of Vietnam fought against communist "Aggression from the North" (Name of a White Paper by the U.S. State Department issued in 1960 and again in 1965). She must have gotten her information regarding that anthem from a communist or communist sympathizer! What a terrible shame! The San Jose Mercury News owes an apology to 1.5 million Vietnamese Americans (one tenth of whom make their homes in San Jose) about this idiocy. Nguyen Ngoc BICH Chairman, National Congress of Vietnamese Americans Tel: (703) 971-9178 10/12/08   more »

Dear Ms. Krieger: Your article, "Finally, 'Little Saigon' banners fly over San Jose," is indicative of a lack of basic journalistic skills and laziness on your part; i.e., fact checking. Your editor should send you to a local college for a journalism 101 course. Shame on you for the audacity of your ignorance in stating that the South Vietnamese residents of San Jose and surrounding area were singing the national anthem of the communist Vietnamese,"To Liberate the South," when celebrating after the inauguration of Little Saigon. All you had to do is ask any one of the Vietnamese veterans the name of South Vietnam's national anthem and they would have proudly told you it was and still is "Oh, Citizens - Nay Cong Dan Oi..." You have managed to insult thousands of Vietnamese veterans and their families; the millions of courageous South Vietnamese who fought gallantly against the communists and died as a result; those millions of Vietnamese who suffered from years of hardships in the concentration camps (ironically called "reeducation camps), and those who died as a result; those thousands of Vietnamese who died on the high-seas fleeing the tyranny of the Vietnamese communists; the tens of thousands of Vietnamese who were murdered after the communist take over of South Vietnam; and the almost 60 thousand Americans who died fighting for the freedom of the South Vietnamese and the millions of Americans who served there. If you and your paper fail to write a front page apology the these Vietnamese whom you insulted, you should be fired and your paper stop publishing. Sincerely, Michael Benge. I served in Vietnam for 11 years as a civilian Foreign Service Officer, five of which was as a POW. ************************************************************************************* Finally, 'Little Saigon' banners fly over San Jose By Lisa M. Krieger Mercury News Article Launched: 10/11/2008 08:07:15 PM PDT Long-awaited "Little Saigon'' banners were unfurled Saturday over the sidewalks and traffic of San Jose's Story Road, ending a contentious effort by the city's South Vietnamese community to name the business district after their fallen former capital. The installation of the 18 colorful banners was celebrated with speeches and song by a crowd of hundreds of Vietnamese, political exiles who have formed one of the largest expatriate enclaves in the nation. The banners — privately funded, but sanctioned by City Hall after a year of protests, petition drives and combative meetings — have become a symbol of newfound freedom to those who fled their country after a long and losing war against the Communists. "What these banners symbolize is that they've arrived,'' said San Jose Vice Mayor David Cortese, wearing a Vietnam Republic flag-themed tie, decorated with three red stripes on a yellow field. "After three decades, they've established themselves here and re-established their values — freedom, human rights, democracy, capitalism and basic family values." The design of the banners was agreed upon in negotiations between the Vietnamese community and the city attorney's office, he said. A prominently featured Vietnam Republic flag was toned down, he said. An image of City Hall's Rotunda was added. Because the banners along the one-mile stretch of Vietnamese-dominated businesses are only temporary installations under city law, the Vietnamese community is now raising money to erect two permanent concrete monuments saying "Welcome To Little Saigon." One would be where Story Road intersects McLaughlin Avenue, the other at Story and Roberts Street. New "Little Saigon" license plate holders are also for sale by the Little Saigon-San Jose Foundation. Activists say they will seek to have "Little Saigon" placed on official city maps. Saturday's emotional ceremony opened with a march of aging South Vietnamese army officers, carrying the American and Vietnam Republic flags, side by side. The crowd then joined in rousing renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner" and the Vietnam Republic anthem, "To Liberate the South." Cao Hien, president of the Little Saigon San Jose Foundation, called for a moment of silence "for the sacrifice of the Vietnamese people, solders and 58,000 Americans who bravely fought and lost their lives for Vietnamese freedom and democracy." ****************************************************    more »

The Vietnamese government must end its intimidation and attacks against Catholics and ensure protection against violence by state-sponsored groups, Amnesty International said today. The widening persecution comes after the authorities cracked down on peaceful mass protests by Catholics in Ha Noi at the end of September 2008. In August and September, Catholics gathered in the thousands to show their support for the church’s claims in a land dispute. In a briefing paper released today, based on new information, Amnesty International illustrates how Catholics are increasingly physically and verbally attacked and intimidated in the wake of the crackdown. The report is based on interviews with church groups, journalists and parishioners in the country.   more »

Vietnam: End Crackdown on Catholics Peaceful Protesters Beaten, Arrested, and Harassed (New York, October 4, 2008) – The Vietnamese government should immediately release Roman Catholics arrested for holding peaceful prayer vigils in Hanoi and hold accountable police and others responsible for attacking Catholic parishioners, Human Rights Watch said today. The protesters have been calling for the return of church properties confiscated by the government. Human Rights Watch also urged the government to end the harassment, threats, and restrictions on the movement of the Archbishop of Hanoi, Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, who has publicly defended the rights of the Catholic protesters and visited the families of arrested parishioners. “This is the harshest crackdown on Catholics in Vietnam in decades,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “Sadly, religious repression and violent crackdowns by the Vietnamese authorities against peaceful protesters are nothing new.” Vietnam has not seen such large numbers of Catholics participating in mass public protests since the 1950s, nor has the government responded to Catholics so violently in recent decades. Vietnamese authorities have recently used tear gas and electric batons to disband the peaceful Catholic prayer vigils in Hanoi, and bulldozed properties considered sacred to Vietnamese Catholics. Hundreds of unidentified thugs, some in the blue shirts of the Communist Youth League, have harassed, cursed, and spit at parishioners and destroyed church statues. On September 19, 2008, authorities detained and beat an American reporter covering these events. At least eight Catholic parishioners have been arrested for participating in the vigils since the latest round of protests began in mid-August. “Silencing the voices of Catholic parishioners by beating, harassing, and arresting them is yet another demonstration of Vietnam’s intolerance of dissent and freedom of religion,” Pearson said. “Even senior religious figures of officially recognized churches are severely harassed.” The two Hanoi properties in dispute are the site of the former Nunciature (a Vatican diplomatic mission), and the Thai Ha Church of the Redemptorists, both of which were confiscated in the mid-1950s. Construction workers, backed by hundreds of police officers, bulldozed the Nunciature building on September 19, 2008. Public expression of land grievances are escalating throughout Vietnam, from the Mekong Delta to the northern highlands, with religious leaders and their adherents at times involved in the peaceful protests. Prayer vigils conducted in December 2007 and January 2008 by Catholic parishioners in Hanoi seeking the return of the disputed properties died down earlier this year when government authorities reportedly promised to return the properties. Months went by, however, without any action, spurring thousands of Catholics to join fresh prayer vigils in August and September to press for return of government-confiscated church land. On September 21, 10,000 Catholics gathered in prayer outside Hanoi’s main St. Joseph Cathedral to protest the demolition of the nearby Nunciature. It was the largest public protest by Catholics since 1954. Hanoi authorities targeted for harassment Archbishop Kiet after he publicly defended the prayer vigils. Catholic sources in Vietnam report that Vietnamese authorities have placed surveillance cameras outside his residence and are monitoring his phone line. Government-orchestrated mobs have assembled outside his gate shouting anti-Catholic slogans and calling for him to be removed from his position. The archbishop has limited his activities outside his residence due to security concerns. The government is also carrying out an intense smear campaign against Archbishop Kiet in the state-controlled media, alleging that he has committed illegal and unpatriotic acts by “instigating parishioners in order to sow divisions” through protests that the government claims are threats to public safety and national unity. On September 23, the president of the Hanoi People’s Committee (a governmental authority answerable to the Vietnamese Communist Party) sent a letter to the Vietnam Conference of Catholic Bishops calling for the “severe punishment” and transfer of Archbishop Kiet, and accusing him and four priests at Thai Ha parish of “inciting riots, falsely accusing the government, disrespecting the nation, breaking and ridiculing the law and instigating others to violate it.” In response, the Vietnam Conference of Bishops issued public statements in defense of the archbishop and priests, raising concerns about religious freedom, the right to property, the government’s monopoly over the media, and other human rights issues in Vietnam (http://www.vietcatholic.net/News/Html/59225.htm ). “The government should support religious tolerance and peaceful assembly instead of using the media to vilify religious leaders and paint peaceful religious protesters as a menace to the public,” Pearson said. Historical Background is included for relations between Vietnam and the Vatican since 1975.   more »