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 »

State Schools Chief asks for public input to update History-Social Science Framework Now is the time to make your viewpoint known about the Vietnam War and the Southeast Asian refugee experience in California textbooks. Three focus groups will be held on May 30 in San Jose, June 5 in Los Angeles, and June 6 in San Diego to gather public input on updating the existing History-Social Science Framework. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell has organized these meetings to “ensure that the framework reflections the most current and confirmed research on education in the subject area. The focus group meetings will be open to the public, and comments made at each meeting will be forwarded to the Curriculum Development and Instructional Materials Commission and the State Board of Education for consideration. The agenda for the May 30 meeting, to be held at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, 1290 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose from 3 to 6 p.m. allows 40 minutes for public comment. Written comments are encouraged, brought to the meeting in your location. The June 5 meeting is at the Los Angeles County Office of Education, 9300 Imperial Highway, Downey. The June 6 meeting is at the San Diego County Office of Education at 6401 Linda Vista Highway, San Diego. For more information on the specifics, see http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/index.asp Duc Nguyen, a California filmmaker (Bolinao 52) has organized an online histories collection group to bring to the attention of the State Superintendent and the Curriculum Framework Commission. You can join this group at ab2064-subscribe@yahoogroups.com My personal participation will be to donate five books in English by Vietnamese American authors to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell on May 30: Quang X. Pham, A Sense of Duty; My Father, My American Journey (2005) Trinh Do, Saigon to San Diego, Memoir of a Boy Who Escaped from Communist Vietnam (2005) Nghia Vo, The Vietnamese Boat People, 1954 and 1975-1992 (2005) Andrew Lam, Perfume Dreams, Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora (2005) Life, Poetry and Prison -- Cuoc Song, Thi Van, va Tu Day; Nguyen Chi Thien's poetry translated by Nguyen Thi (2007) Special thanks to Quang Pham, Nguyen Chi Thien, and Nghia Vo, for your support in donating these books to me for discretionary use. Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review   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 »

PARIS, 9 May 2008 (IBIB) - Leaders of Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia have appealed to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to call for the release of UBCV Supreme Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang and his Deputy Thich Quang Do on the occasion of the UN Day of the Vesak, celebrated in Hanoi from 13-17 May 2008. “We are deeply concerned that Vietnam is exploiting UN Vesak Day for political ends. Faced with growing criticism of its abuses of religious freedom, notably the recommendation, on 2nd May 2008 by the US Commission on International Commission on Religious Freedom to re-designate Vietnam as a “Country of Particular Concern” for egregious violations of religious freedom, the Vietnamese leadership is using the Vesak to enhance its international image, to legitimize State-controlled Buddhism and suppress the traditional UBCV. If they succeed, it would be a tragedy, not only for Buddhists, but for all the people of Vietnam. By eradicating the UBCV, they would stifle an essential voice of civil society, one that is bravely articulating the hopes of millions of Vietnamese for peaceful development, freedom and human rights”. International personalities call on Hanoi to cease religious repression and release Thich Huyen Quang, Thich Quang Do on UN Day of the Vesak in Hanoi PARIS, 9 May 2008 (VIETNAM COMMITTEE) - Forty-nine prominent international personalities including a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, religious leaders from different faiths, Members of the European Parliament, the US Congress, Senators and MPs from Italy, France and the UK launched a joint appeal to the Vietnamese leadership on the occasion of the United Nations Day of the Vesak (Birth, Enlightenment and Passing away of the Buddha) in Hanoi (13-17 May) to cease repression against the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) and immediately release its Supreme Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang and his Deputy Thich Quang Do. In a letter to Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and other state leaders, the signatories expressed concern at the stark contrast between the grandiose celebration of Buddhism's most sacred festival and the renewed intensity of State repression against Buddhists in Vietnam. "We are deeply disturbed by recent reports of grave repression against Buddhism, the very faith you claim to celebrate", they wrote, noting that "in the run-up to the Vesak, Police have seized UBCV pagodas to use for State-sponsored events, evicted and harassed UBCV monks, nuns and lay-followers in Lam Dong, Hue, Quang Tri…". Only the State-sponsored Buddhist Sangha would be hosting the ceremonies, whilst UBCV leaders "are prisoners in their own pagodas". They called on Vietnam to release Supreme Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang, 88, and the UBCV's second-ranking dignitary Thich Quang Do, 80, who have both spent over 26 years in detention; to re-establish the legitimate status of the banned UBCV; and to cease all repression against the UBCV. Signatories include Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, US Congressman Frank Wolf, Roman Catholic Bishop Vaclav Maly of Prague, Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, prominent MEPs Graham Watson, Marco Pannella, Edward McMillan-Scott, Italian Senate Vice-President Emma Bonino, USCIRF Commissioner Nina Shea, Lord Avebury and Lord Alton of the UK House of Lords . Human Rights Watch called on the Vietnamese government to release people imprisoned for peaceful religious or political activities and end restrictions on independent religious organizations who choose not to affiliate with the officially authorized religious organizations under the control of the government. “Independent religious groups should be allowed to freely organize and manage themselves, conduct religious activities, and even engage in peaceful public protests,” said Pearson. “Vietnam’s respect for human rights and religious freedom has sharply deteriorated since the US removed it from its blacklist of religious freedom violators and Vietnam’s subsequent acceptance into the World Trade Organization.” For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on Vietnam, please visit: http://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia&c=vietnam   more »

UPDATE: The Assembly Appropriations Committee chair Mark Leno has placed AB2064 into Suspension. All are encouraged to ask him to release the bill back to the floor of the Assembly. I am writing in strong support of AB 2064, which would require the State Board of Education to adopt textbooks and instructional materials to include instruction on the Vietnam War. Specifically to include the "Secret War" in Laos, the role of Southeast Asians in that war, and the refugee/immigrant/new American experience as a result of the war. The adoption of Assembly Bill 1076 on February 22, 2005, on this topic excluded the provision in the present AB 2064 for refugee/new American experiences about the Vietnam War. AB2064 also provides curriculum inclusion specifically directed to the next cycle of the History-Social Science Framework which begins in January, 2009. The Timeline of Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee Application and scheduled Focus Groups to advise the CFECC for the mandated State Board of Education provision of thirty months’ notice to publishers for evaluation criteria is imminent for the next submission cycle. Focus groups to solicit public input on the framework update in AB2064 are scheduled for May and June 2008 Applications for the Curriculum Commission to draft the framework between February and June 2009 are due on September 3, 2008. Therefore the opportunity for Southeast Asian citizens and their organizations to influence the framework in the expanded definition of the subject of the Vietnam War and immigrant/new American experience is extremely short. In your discussion on May 7, please include provision for inclusion of participants in the Vietnam War who immigrated because of the war and are now citizens of California and the United States not limited to the ‘Secret War’ in Laos and those who provided intelligence to the U.S. military during the unspecified period of the ‘Vietnam War.’ This should include participants in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the Government of the Republic of Vietnam (GRVN) which was allied with the United States, persons rescued from the April, 1975, invasion of South Vietnam including Operation Babylift, medical personnel, and civilians associated with missionary and charitable organizations. Further, include persons who escaped the imprisonment, property confiscation, and discrimination of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as “Boat People” refugees and Orderly Departure assisted by the United Nations between 1975 and 1990, those who immigrated through the Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1988, and those who immigrated through the Humanitarian Operation (H.O.) program of prisoners of the Socialist government of Vietnam and their families beginning in 1992 and renewed by the U.S. Congress as recently as 2007 All of these are conditions and experiences of present citizens and residents of California. If they are included in Focus Groups and encouraged to apply for the CFCC through organizations such as the Amerasian Fellowship Association, ARVN veterans societies, geographical community associations, religious organizations that are outlawed and adherents persecuted in Vietnam such as the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) and Catholic parish and Protestant organizations, Overseas Women Associations, ethnic media, medical, and professional organizations, Immigrant Resettlement and Cultural Centers, Southeast Asian student and youth groups seeking memoir such as the Digital Clubhouse at History San Jose by the Assembly Appropriations Committee in your action on AB2064, the spirit as well as the letter of the AB2064 will be upheld. Thank you for your attention to this vital inclusion in the History and Social Science Framework Update for the 2009 – 2011 cycle. Sincerely, Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com   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 »