http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog Vietnamese American achievement posts that are original with site administrator, Jean Libby, and others; often about authors and literature, esp. the dissident poet Nguyen Chi Thien; links to www.vietamreview.net; links to Internet Bookselling--Multicultural Perspectives en-us Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:42:13 -0700 Main Page Blogware Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/22/3805609.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/22/3805609.html Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:50:07 -0700 Writers Banned, Censored, Harassed, and Jailed (New York, July 22, 2008) – Eight Vietnamese writers are among a diverse group of 34 writers from 19 countries to receive Hellman/Hammett awards this year in recognition of the courage they showed when facing political persecution, Human Rights Watch said today. The Hellman/Hammett awards, administered by Human Rights Watch, are given annually to writers around the world who have been targets of political persecution or human rights abuses. UPDATE: Announcement is included in Vietnamese language courtesy Human Rights Watch. Main Page Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern NguyenXuanNghia NguyenVanLy NguyenPhongAnh LeThiCongNhan LeQuocQuan HumanRightsWatch Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/17/3798344.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/17/3798344.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:07:04 -0700 Welcome home, Dr. Ngai Nguyen of San Jose On July 05-2008, when the airplane which had Dr. Ngai in the flight arrived at Thailand's airport, the Thai Police arrested Dr. Ngai, put him in jail and interviewed Dr. Ngai for hours because the Vietnamese communist government put his name on the Interpol terrorist list. After that, they released him but just let Dr. Ngai stay in Thailand for 3 days only. Now, he is already back to USA Thái: Bắt BS Nguyễn X. Ngãi, Nghi Khủng Bố, Tra Vấn, Thả Việt Báo Thứ Ba, 7/15/2008, 12:02:00 AM Bác sĩ Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi tại Thái Lan. Bangkok (Tổng hợp)- Bác sĩ Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi, một người họat cộng đồng nổi tiếng của thành phố San Jose, cũng là Phó Tổng thư ký của Đảng Dân Chủ Việt Nam đặc trách ngọai vận đã bị cảnh sát Thái Lan giữ lại tại phi trường Suvarnabhumi Internaitional mấy giờ đồng hồ để thẩm vấn vì ông có tên trong danh sách khủng bố của cơ quan cảnh sát quốc tế Interpol. Sự việc xảy ra vào khuya thứ bảy 5-7-08, khi vừa đặt chân đến phi trường của thủ đô Bangkok sau chuyến bay dài mười mấy giờ đồng hồ từ San Francisco. Năm viên cảnh sát Thái Lan liên tục điều tra lý lịch, thẩm vấn và bắt ông khai báo nhiều thứ. Sau đó họ điện thọai về Hoa Kỳ và phía nhà nước Việt Nam để xác nhận tình trạng của bác sĩ Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi , và cuối cùng cảnh sát Thái Lan cho phép ông được cư trú trên đất Thái Lan trong 3 ngày và phải báo cáo sự đi lại cho họ biết. Khi bác sĩ họ Nguyễn hỏi lý do tại sao thì cảnh sát Thái Lan cho biết là nhà cầm quyền Hà Nội đã đưa tên Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi vào danh sách những người khủng bố gây nguy hiểm cho Việt Nam của cơ quan hình cảnh quốc tế Interpol cho Thái Lan và các nước lân bang. Lúc rời khỏi Thái Lan để trở về Mỹ thì tại phi trường, tên của ông vẫn còn trong danh sách khủng bố nhưng cảnh sát vẫn để cho bác sĩ Ngãi đi. Chuyện bác sĩ Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi có tên trong danh sách khủng bố quốc tế bị cảnh sát Thái Lan thẩm vấn đã làm nhiều người ngạc nhiên. Là một công dân Mỹ, bác sĩ bệnh tim, người đã được tổng thống Bush đề cử vào Ban cố vấn của Bộ Y Tế Hoa Kỳ, có nhiều sự liên lạc với Bộ Ngọai Giao và Tòa Bạch Oc trong sinh họat đấu tranh dân quyền cho Việt Nam. Bác sĩ Ngãi đã viết thư gởi cho đại sứ Thái Lan tại Hoa Thịnh Đốn để phản đối sự việc và yêu cầu nước này rút tên ông ra khỏi danh sách khủng bố quốc tế do Hà Nội cung cấp. Trên trang báo điện tử An Ninh Thế Giới của Công an, ngày 2-7-08 , đã có bài viết chửi bới nặng nề Lý Tống và Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi và đưa hai người này vào danh sách Interpol. Trong chuyến đi Thái Lan này, bác sĩ Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi đã gặp một số nhà đấu tranh dân chủ trong nước, là thành viên của Đảng Dân Dr. Nguyễn Xuân Ngãi is a world-renowned physician and surgeon. Countless lives have been saved in Vietnam following his training of medical specialists to perform the stent procedure to keep arteries clear. This was not available in Vietnam before 1998, when he made the medical mission. At that time, following his laudatory appearance on the Hanoi Television Program, he was arrested at his hotel for stating that “change is needed” in Vietnam. He and others support reform of the 1992 Constitution and free elections in present-day Vietnam. That is the basis of the VN government labeling him a terrorist. This outrageous act toward an American citizen of such constant public service should be protested from the highest offices in the United States. How about it, Vice President Dick Cheney – who actually sought medical advice about his heart when Dr. Ngai was meeting with him concerning issues of human rights in Vietnam last year? How about it, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who entered Dr. Ngai’s list of prisoners in Vietnam (prepared by a brave UBCV monk) into the Congressional Record? How about it, Senator Dianne Feinstein, who furnished Dr. Ngai with a personal letter to guarantee his safe passage ? The Communist government of Vietnam will continue to laugh at Americans unless these officials protest to Interpol and the government of Thailand. Main Page Thailand SanJose NguyenXuanNgai NgaiXNguyen HanoiTelevisionProgram DickCheney DemocraticPartyVietnam CongressmanRohrabacher Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/16/3795971.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/16/3795971.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:19:02 -0700 OPINION The Life and Times of Thich Huyen Quang By VO VAN AI FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA July 14, 2008 Thich Huyen Quang, 87, patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, died in Vietnam on July 5 at the Nguyen Thieu Monastery in Binh Dinh. One of Vietnam's most beloved and esteemed spiritual leaders, Quang was also a proponent of religious freedom and human rights in a country where both are in short supply. His life and death illustrate the moral bankruptcy of Vietnam's Communist regime. Quang spent more than half his life in prison, internal exile or under house arrest under a succession of political regimes for preaching opposition to tyranny in all its forms. Along with the UBCV deputy leader Thich Quang Do, he was sent into internal exile in 1982 and detained in remote provinces for the past 26 years for refusing to submit Vietnamese Buddhism to Communist Party control. After subjecting Quang to detention and isolation throughout his life, Hanoi's rulers sought to draw political capital from his death by insisting that his funeral be organized by the state-sponsored Vietnam Buddhist Church. Meanwhile the government-controlled media ran a vitriolic campaign to discredit Quang's natural successor, Mr. Do. They accused him and "other extremist elements disguised as Buddhist monks" of "plotting dark schemes" and "immoral actions" by trying to turn the funeral into an "anti-government rally." Mr. Do firmly denounced all government interference, and ultimately led the funeral on Friday, July 11, under the auspices of the banned UBCV. As a member of the World Trade Organization and this month's rotating president of the United Nations Security Council, Vietnam seeks to play an increasing role on the global stage. The reality of the official media's harsh rhetoric contrasts starkly with the pragmatic pronouncements of Vietnam's leadership, who extol the merits of capitalism and free-market reforms. Thirty years after the end of the Vietnam War, there are still no opposition parties, no free press, no free trade unions and no civil society. All independent religions are banned, and advocacy of human rights or democracy remains taboo. In this political vacuum, the religious movements in Vietnam -- especially Buddhism, with its tradition of social activism and adhered to by two-thirds of the Vietnam's 84 million people -- have assumed a key role in voicing the people's grievances and pressing for individual freedoms and rights. They are the true voices of civil society in Vietnam today. Indeed, this is the real crux of the conflict between the government and the UBCV, which it has banned. Quang demanded, and Mr. Do demands, not only religious freedom but the respect of basic human rights and democratic freedoms for all Vietnamese. At least 10,000 UBCV monks, nuns and lay followers braved government intimidation and possible arrest to attend his funeral in Binh Dinh and honor their beloved leader. Paying his last respects before Quang's coffin at the funeral at Nguyen Thieu Monastery Friday, Mr. Do made the following solemn pledge: "You have left us for ever, but the struggle for UBCV legality and human rights goes on. We pledge to continue your peaceful combat, to follow the path you traced. We know that countless obstacles lie ahead, and we are ready to confront them. We will not cease until we have fulfilled your dream to see the UBCV regain its legal status and win back the freedoms stolen from us by the Communist regime in 1975." Mr. Ai is the international spokesman of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. Main Page Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern WallStreetJournalAsia VoVanAi UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam ThichQuangDo ThichHuyenQuang Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/10/3787244.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/10/3787244.html Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:41:34 -0700 INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST INFORMATION BUREAU (BUREAU INTERNATIONAL D'INFORMATION BOUDDHISTE) Official information service of Vien Hoa Dao, Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam B.P. 63 - 94472 Boissy Saint L�ger cedex (France) - Tel.: Paris (331) 45 98 30 85 Fax : Paris (331) 45 98 32 61 - E-mail : ubcv.ibib@buddhist.com Web : http://www.queme.net For immediate release Paris, 10 July 2008 Hanoi’s interference in UBCV Patriarch’s funeral draws strong protests from the international community PARIS, 10 July 2008 (IBIB) – As members of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam prepare the funeral ceremony for the late Supreme Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang, to be held at 7.00am on Friday 11th July at the Nguyen Thieu Monastery in Binh Dinh, international protests are mounting against the Vietnamese government’s attempt to impose a State-sponsored funeral and discredit UBCV Deputy leader Thich Quang Do by denunciation campaigns in the State-controlled media. Today (10 July) three prominent U.S. Congressmen, Edward Royce, Chris Smith and Frank Wolf wrote jointly to Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet in Hanoi deploring that: “Despite [Thich Huyen Quang’s] respected positions with the UBCV and his decades of dedication and leadership, we are now informed that the Vietnamese government has intervened in the planning of the funeral, announcing that the State-sanctioned Buddhist Church will organize the funeral rather than the UBCV. We strongly disagree with this decision and urge its reversal”. “Furthermore, the denunciations of the Venerable Thich Quang Do and other so-called “extremist elements disguised as Buddhist monks” by the government-controlled media are troubling and frankly untrue. The Venerable Do is not an extremist as he has been characterized, but rather retains his standing within the Buddhist community as a well respected citizen and a strong leader. The Venerable Thich Quang Do and hundreds of members of the Unified Buddhist Church have been mourning the death of their leader in various ceremonies. We strongly urge you to respect their beliefs and allow [them] to organize and attend the Venerable Quang’s funeral without interference”. In a letter faxed to the International Buddhist Information Bureau to the attention of UBCV Deputy leader Thich Quang Do today, Therese Jebsen, Executive Director of the Norwegian Rafto Foundation wrote: “The Rafto Foundation strongly condemns the attempt by the Vietnamese government to wrest control over the funeral ceremony of Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang. We also react with anger and sorrow knowing that the Government-controlled media has run denunciation campaigns against You and your followers. This is an additional sign of the brutal and repressive nature of the illegitimate regime in Hanoi.” Ms Jebsen, whose foundation awarded Thich Quang Do the prestigious Rafto Prize in 2006, was arrested at the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in Saigon in March 2007 when she went to hand the Rafto Diploma to Thich Quang Do. “The Rafto Foundation realizes that the burden on Your shoulders will become even more heavy in the months and years to come” she wrote to the UBCV Deputy leader. “We will continue to support You and the Vietnamese peoples' struggle for democracy, freedom and human rights”. The death of the UBCV Patriarch was “as a tragic loss for all Vietnamese who are persecuted and subjected to human rights violations. It is also a loss for people around the world who are committed to the struggle for human rights and democracy. Thich Huyen Quang will be remembered as a shining example, representing the noblest values of human beings” she said. From Paris, the President of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) Souhayr Belhassen and Vietnam Committee on Human Rights’ President Vo Van Ai sent a joint letter of protest to Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet : “FIDH and VCHR denounce State interference into the UBCV’s internal affairs as a grave violation of the right to freedom of religion and belief enshrined in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a state party. We express our disappointment as these actions are especially shocking from a country that holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council. FIDH and VCHR call upon Vietnam to immediately withdraw all plans for a State-organised funeral. UBCV Deputy leader Thich Quang Do and UBCV members should be fully entitled to mourn their leader and conduct religious rites without any political interference in respect of international human rights standards on the right to freedom of religion and belief”. The London-based headquarters of Amnesty International also issued a strong statement today ”call[ing] on the Viet Nam authorities to allow his funeral to take place according to the wishes of his followers and church, without hindrance and harassment of UBCV members by agents of the state”. Thich Huyen Quang was adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience since 1990, and AI sections in Belgium, Canada, France, Austria, Netherlands and the USA had sent thousands of letters calling for his release. Ms Kathryn Cameron Porter, President of the Leadership Council for Human Rights in Washington D.C. expressed “solidarity with the UBCV in its peaceful struggle to worship freely”, in a letter addressed to Venerable Thich Quang Do on 9th July. “The Leadership Council joins the international community in calling on the Vietnamese leadership to end its restrictions on religious freedom, including unjust restrictions placed on the UBCV and its leadership. We hope that Ambassador Michalak will personally attend Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang’s funeral, and that the memorial services will be organized according to the Church’s wishes, without government interference. As we mourn the death of this great man, we honour his life and his powerful legacy”. --- Main Page Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern RaftoFoundation VoVanAi Vietnam UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam ThichQuangDo ThichHuyenQuang InternationalBuddhistInformationBureauIBIB HumanRightsWatch CongressmanFrankWolf CongressmanEdRoyce CongressmanChrisSmith amnestyinternational Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/9/3784014.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/9/3784014.html Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:21:28 -0700 Vietnam: Don’t Interfere in Buddhist Patriarch’s Funeral Government Attempt to Take Over Funeral Risks Confrontation (New York, July 9, 2008) – Members of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) should be allowed to organize and attend funeral services for their patriarch without government interference, Human Rights Watch said today. The Vietnamese government has announced that the state-sanctioned Buddhist church will organize the funeral for the UBCV Supreme Buddhist Patriarch, Thich Huyen Quang. A Buddhist peace activist who opposed French colonial rule and the US war in Vietnam, Thich Huyen Quang was a lifelong champion of human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam. He passed away in a monastery in Binh Dinh province in central Vietnam on July 5, 2008, at the age of 88. As a member of the UBCV since the 1960s, which is banned by the Vietnamese government because of its refusal to join the state-sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist Church, Thich Huyen Quang spent much of the last three decades in government-imposed internal exile, house arrest, or prison. “Thich Huyen Quang gave up his liberty for 30 years in a quest for greater human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “His followers should be allowed to pay their last respects without government interference, at a ceremony of their own choosing.” Main Page Vietnamese Communities BradAdams VietnamBuddhistChurch UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam ThichHuyenQuang SophieRichardson HumanRightsWatch BuddhistProposalDemocracyHumanRights Buddhist Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/8/3784544.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/8/3784544.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:18:06 -0700 WASHINGTON—The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom extends its sincere condolences to the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam on the death of the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang. The UBCV’s Supreme Patriarch died Saturday at his Nguyen Thieu monastery in the province of Binh Dinh, where he was being held under administrative detention orders because of his decades-long and peaceful campaign for the freedom of religion and related human rights in Vietnam. “Thich Huyen Quang was a strong voice for religious freedom and human rights in his country. Successive governments in Vietnam tried in vain to silence him, and he suffered greatly for peacefully championing religious freedom,” said Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. The UBCV, Vietnam’s largest Buddhist organization, was de facto banned in 1981 when the communist government formed the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha and required all Buddhists groups to join it. Since 2003, most of the UBCV’s senior leaders have been held under some sort of “pagoda arrest” and recent efforts to organize provincial committees and charitable and youth organizations have been met with harassment, threats, and some detentions. Vietnamese authorities are warning UBCV presumptive leader Thich Quang Do and other UBCV monks against turning the funeral for Thich Huyen Quang this week into an “anti-government rally” and have continued their campaign to discredit Thich Quang Do. A Commission delegation met with Thich Quang Do and other senior UBCV leaders during its October 2007 visit to Vietnam. Main Page Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern USCIRF UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam ThichHuyenQuang Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/8/3782357.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/8/3782357.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:16:26 -0700 Thành kính phân ưu Kính gửi: Hội Đồng Lưỡng Viện Giáo Hội Phật Giáo Việt Nam Thống Nhất Chúng tôi vừa được nhận được tin buồn: Đại Lão Hòa Thượng Thích Huyền Quang Đệ Tứ Tăng Thống của Giáo Hội Phật Giáo Việt Nam Thống Nhất một vị lãnh đạo tinh thần bất khuất trong ý chí một nhà đấu tranh tôn giáo kiên cường trong gian khổ Vừa viên tịch tại Tu Viện Nguyên Thiều – Bình Định – Việt Nam, vào lúc 13 giờ ngày 5 tháng 7 năm 2008. Khối 8406 xin thành kính phân ưu và xin chia xẻ nỗi mất mát lớn lao này với Hội Đồng Lưỡng Viện, Viện Hóa Đạo, Văn Phòng II Viện Hóa Đạo Hải Ngoại, Tu Viện Nguyên Thiều và tất cả các giới chức thuộc Giáo Hội Phật Giáo Việt Nam Thống Nhất trong và ngoài nước Kính nguyện cho giác linh Đại Lão Hòa Thượng sớm được siêu thoát. Việt Nam, ngày 6 tháng 7 năm 2008. Ban Điều hành lâm thời Khối 8406 1- Kỹ sư Đỗ Nam Hải, Sài Gòn 2- Giáo sư Nguyễn Chính Kết, đang vận động tại hải ngoại 3- Cựu Sĩ quan Trần Anh Kim, Thái Bình 4- Linh mục Phan Văn Lợi, Huế 5- Văn sĩ Nguyễn Xuân Nghĩa, Hải Phòng. Main Page DoNamHail TranAnhKim PhanVanLoi NguyenXuanNghia NguyenChinhKet Bloc8406 Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/5/3777455.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/5/3777455.html Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:24:45 -0700 Paris, 5 July 2008 (IBIB) - The 4th Supreme Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), who passed away on 5th July at the Nguyen Thieu Monastery in Binh Dinh, was one of Vietnam’s most loved and respected spiritual leaders. He was also a determined opponent of tyranny in all its forms. For his uncompromising determination to stand firm, he paid a high price, spending over half his life in prison, internal exile or under house arrest under a succession of political regimes. Together with the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do, Thich Huyen Quang waged three decades of peaceful opposition to the Communist regime, becoming a symbol of the non-violent Buddhist movement for religious freedom and human rights. But he was also a great peacemaker and a man of dialogue, seeking every opportunity towards harmony and the healing of divisions in a Vietnam torn by war and conflicting ideologies. In April 2003, he was received in Hanoi by Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to discuss the situation of Buddhism. This is the first time a political prisoner had ever been received by a top government official in Communist Vietnam. The International Buddhist Information Bureau wishes to make public some salient points of his life and work. More information and translation of his major texts will be posted on the IBIB website. On 20.11.1993, from house arrest, Thich Huyen Quang issued a landmark 12-point “Buddhist Proposal for Democracy and Human Rights”. This was a turning point for the UBCV. Whereas the Buddhists had limited their demands to religious freedom, Thich Huyen Quang called for fundamental political reforms such as free elections, a multi-party system, and the end of the Communist Party’s political monopoly. "The abolition of Article 4 (of the Constitution on the VCP’s political mastery) does not imply the exclusion or the dissolution of the Communist Party... [it will] stimulate the participation of all sectors of the population, regardless of their political affiliations or religious beliefs [and] foster competition as a mutually reinforcing relationship, not as a race to oust one's opponents. After all, whether our compatriots be communists or members of any other political party, they are first and foremost Vietnamese. Our common heritage of 5,000 years' civilisation will form the basis for future dialogue and co-operation, and we will be bound together in one common aim - that of forging a place within the community of nations for a stable, flourishing and prosperous Viet Nam" . Thich Huyen Quang’s Proposal defined the Buddhist vision of a just and open society, and underlined the UBCV's resolve to struggle not only for religious freedom and Church independence, but for the fundamental rights and freedoms of Vietnamese people as a whole. He also stressed the role of Buddhism and religious movements this process: "After 50 years of devastating war waged in the name of conflicting, imported ideologies, religious movements alone possess an unparalleled capacity to temper hatreds, defuse conflict and restore moral values in a society plunged in a spiritual and moral crisis. As such, they have a vital role to play in the reconstruction of our country...". Main Page Vietnamese Communities BuddhistProposalDemocracyHumanRights NguyenThieuMonastery Vietnamesehistory UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam ThichHuyenQuang religiousfreedom QueMe PhanVanKhai NobelPeacePrize InternationalBuddhistInformationBureauIBIB Buddhist BlackApril ActionforDemocracyVietNam Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/3/3774754.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/7/3/3774754.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:29:19 -0700 PARIS, 3 July 2008 (IBIB) - The International Budhist Information Bureau is shocked and outraged by the news report issued by the official Vietnam News Agency and relayed on 3rd July by several State-run newspapers in Vietnam (Thanh Nien, Hanoi Moi etc) concerning the “imminent funeral” of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang, 89, who is gravely ill at the Quy Nhon General hospital in Binh Binh. Under the title “Unmasking the dark intentions of Quang Do”, VNA states that Venerable Thich Quang Do and several senior UBCV dignitaries and Buddhist Youth leaders have gathered in Binh Dinh “on the pretext of visiting Thich Huyen Quang”, but are in fact “awaiting his death” and “plotting to make use of his funeral make public the banned UBCV”. The official press agency accuses Thich Quang Do and the UBCV of “usurping the right” (sic) to organise Patriarch’s funeral, and claims that the funeral should be organised by the State-sponsored Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Binh Dinh. Whilst denouncing Thich Quang Do’s presence beside the UBCV Patriarch, the news agency’s statement commended members of the Government Religious Board and local religious officials for visiting Thich Huyen Quang in hospital, “even though he is not a member of the [State-sponsored] Vietnam Buddhist Sangha”. Mr. Vo Van Ai, UBCV International spokesman and IBIB Director, expressed his profound indignation at this “cynical and inhumane” statement, which reveals the “heartless political manipulations of the Hanoi regime”. Since Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang was taken into the emergency ward of Quy Nhon hospital on 27th May, many senior UBCV dignitaries travelled to Binh Dinh to visit him. “Thich Quang Do went out there immediately to bring comfort to his leader and lifelong friend, hoping that his prayers, presence and care could help Thich Huyen Quang to recover. Yet whilst Thich Quang Do and the UBCV pray for the Patriarch’s life. Main Page Vietnamese Communities VoVanAi UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam ThichQuangDo ThichHuyenQuang QueMe InternationalBuddhistInformationBureauIBIB Hanoi Buddhist ActionforDemocracyVietNam Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/30/3769071.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/30/3769071.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:21:04 -0700 Vietnam, State Department Houston discuss consulate by PHAN, your online buddy Link: http://phanthanh.multiply.com/links/184 Vietnam, State Department Houston discuss consulate.... June 26, 2008, 2:25PM Vietnam, State Department discuss Houston consulate Prime minister meets with business leaders... Mayra Beltran: Houston Chronicle June 26, 2008, 2:25PM Vietnam, State Department discuss Houston consulate Prime minister meets with business leaders By JENALIA MORENO Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Vietnam's ambassador to the U.S. said in Houston today that his nation would like to open a consul general's office here. "We have agreed in principle," said Ambassador Le Cong Phung, during a break in today's meeting between Vietnam's prime minister and Texas business leaders at a Galleria-area hotel. "We have got one office in the East, the embassy, and one in the West in San Francisco. The United States is a huge country. We cannot cover it all." Nguyen Tan Dung and his delegation of more than 100 Vietnamese officials are meeting with Texas cotton producers, energy company officials and airline executives to discuss ways to expand trade between the two nations. His meeting comes amid protests from members of the local Vietnamese community who claim Dung's government has one of the world's worst records on human rights. ********************** Pictures follow of demonstration by the Vietnamese community in Houston. If you haven’t seen Phan Thanh’s excellent site before – be prepared to spend a couple of hours looking at historic photos and current events. His own essay “I will return to Vietnam when …” is heartbreaking. All the better for bilingual readers, some are in Vietnamese and some in English. Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com Main Page Freedom for Vietnam Vietnamese Communities Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern LeCongPhung JenaliaMoreno NguyenTanDung Houston economicsinVietnam communistprisons communistprisoners Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/26/3764685.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/26/3764685.html Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:16:34 -0700 White House statement covers topics of agreement on trade, energy, human rights, Vietnamese Americans' "contribution to the promotion of the relationship between the two countries." "President Bush welcomed these contributions and reiterated the U.S. government's support for Vietnam's national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity." The United Nations and ASEAN were discussed. United States Education Cooperation with Vietnam In a Memorandum of Understanding signed by United States Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James Glassman and Vietnam Vice Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan, the two countries: • Expressed their wish to enhance friendship between peoples and cooperation in the field of higher education; • Recognized the importance of higher education in economic development; and • Recognized the importance of public-private sector partnerships between American and Vietnamese universities, colleges, and other organizations that support training and education projects. To develop strategies to deepen cooperation further in higher education, including contacts between educational institutions, they agreed to establish an Education Task Force, which will: • Encourage more and deeper linkages and joint programs between American and Vietnamese universities (including discussions about the best path to create a U.S. model higher education institution in Vietnam with the support of American universities and colleges, and simplifying procedures to establish new education and exchange programs in Vietnam); • Increase the number of Vietnamese studying at American universities and colleges, especially PhD students (including the United States’ initiative to facilitate an increase in the number of Vietnamese students studying in universities in the United States at all levels, and the Vietnamese interest in seeing more Vietnamese receiving United States graduate degrees); and • Promote educational programs designed to help Vietnamese students acquire the skills needed in Vietnam’s modernizing economy. Main Page Hanoi Propaganda in USA FulbrightEnglishteachers Vietnamesestudents USStateDept UnitedNations PresidentBush NguyenTanDung BilateralTradeAgreement Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/26/3763934.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/26/3763934.html Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:42:00 -0700 The Vietnamese Canadian Federation in Ottawa has published Gift of Freedom; How Ottawa welcomed the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian Refugees by Brian Buckley (General Store Publishing House, 2008). $20 The book sales benefit the Boat People Museum in Ottawa. Review by Jean Libby, VietAm Review: Gift of Freedom is an English-language history of the Southeast Asian refugees in Canada. It is professionally written and historically helpful for anyone who wants information about the issues and experiences of Boat People refugees to Canada from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos between 1979 and 2008. That’s right, 2008 – when the last refugee camp of Vietnamese Boat People in the Philippines, Palawan, was closed. The people who had not been accepted by other countries were in danger of deportation back to Vietnam. The Vietnamese Canadian Federation persuaded the Canadian government to take them as Permanent Residents immediately. The unique Canadian history alone would be worthy of a book, but Gift of Freedom also develops the original exodus beginning in 1977 and its roots in the Vietnam War of 1954-1975, continuing with the wars between the victorious Communist countries and that important relationship to the desperation so great that people knowingly risked their lives and those of their children to cast themselves into the China Sea on rickety boats to seek refuge and asylum. It is the best history for general readers of English that I have seen of the Vietnam War – in which Canadian troops also fought in alliance with South Vietnam –and the aftermath as it affected people in the defeated country. Buckley describes it as a “proxy war between East and West, a struggle between contending ideologies, an interstate conflict among local powers, and a guerilla war.” Paths of migration of all ethnic groups are mapped. The graphic appeal of Gift of Freedom; How Ottawa welcomed the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugees is a meeting of professionalism and passion for the subject matter demonstrated by the Book Committee of the Vietnamese Canadian Federation, particularly former president Can D. Le. My own response as an editor of Vietnamese American authors is to change the description of the books on my website to “Vietnamese Diaspora Titles.” Please enjoy the new look at www.atozproductions.com/Vietnamese_Titles.html Main Page Vietnamese Communities vietnamwar VietnameseCanadians VietnameseCanadianFederation RepublicofVietNam refugees overseasVietnamese Ottawa JeanLibby CanDLe BrianBuckley booktalk BoatPeopleMuseum BoatPeople Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/24/3760822.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/24/3760822.html Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:39:44 -0700 June 24, 2008 Contact: SEARAC: Helly Lee (202) 667-4690 helly@searac.org Contact: HND: Nou Vang (202) 797-9105 nvang@hndinc.org *837 Lao Hmong Sent Back to Laos from Thailand* *Washington**, DC* – On Saturday, June 21st, 837 Lao Hmong were deported from the Huay Nam Khao camp in Phetchabun Province, Thailand. Prior to the date of deportation, thousands of Hmong residents of the camp attempted a march to Bangkok in order to protest the impending deportations. However, the protesters were stopped by members of the Thai police and military, with an estimated 500 arrested and placed in provincial jails. The Thai government states that those who returned to Laos did so voluntarily. The population of almost 8,000 Lao Hmong in Phetchabun Province started to arrive in the region in 2004, many of whom arrived in Thailand seeking refuge as a result of the persecution they faced in Laos. While the Thai government claims that it has already completed its own screening process of the camp residents, because no international entities, including UNHCR, were allowed to be involved with the screening process, it is unclear whether the screening process used by the Thai government met international standards. The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) and Hmong National Development (HND) are concerned that many of the Lao Hmong deported to Laos did not do so voluntarily. In addition, we remain concerned that /bona fide/ refugees will be returned to Laos without an opportunity to be identified as refugees and eligible for third country resettlement. Doua Thor, Executive Director of SEARAC states, “We are troubled by the news of the mass deportations of Lao Hmong back to Laos from Phetchabun Province. No refugees should be forcibly returned to the country from which they fled, and we simply cannot be sure that there were no individuals and families in this group of recent returnees who would otherwise be recognized as refugees through an international refugee screening process. In addition, because there has been no participation of an international monitoring entity, we are concerned about the safety and well being of the population during the deportation process and once they arrive back in Laos.” “HND works to protect the welfare of the national Hmong community in the U.S. as well as the welfare of our neighboring Hmong communities overseas. We remain deeply concerned about the latest deportation and the way in which it was enacted upon by Thai officials. The sudden deportation of these refugees will have an immediate impact on inadequate access to services and nutrition during this period” states Nou Vang, Executive Director of HND. “We request that both the Thai and Lao governments allow the involvement of international agencies in order to ensure the well-being of these Lao Hmong refugees.” SEARAC and HND will continue to monitor this situation and advocate for the implementation of an internationally recognized refugee screening process for the Lao Hmong who remain in Thailand and the assured protection, including the use of international monitors, for those who are returned to Laos. We will also continue to provide updates as this situation progresses. ### **************************************************************************** SEARAC (http://www.searac.org) is a national nonprofit organization working to advance the interests of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans through capacity building, advocacy, and education. SEARAC is proud to work with a national network of over 180 Southeast Asian American grant-eligible organizations accessible at http://www.searac.org/maa/. Main Page Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern DouaThor Thailand SEARAC HND HmongNationalDevelopment NouVang refugees LaosSecretWar Laos Hmong deportation AB2064 Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/22/3756920.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/22/3756920.html Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:36:27 -0700 The statement is in Vietnamese and English. It concerns the need for free elections, Vietnamese corruption, the lack of protection of the Spratly Islands from takeover, inflation and other economic difficulties. signed by eleven Vietnamese political parties Main Page Freedom for Vietnam Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern DaiVietNationalistParty NewDaiVietParty VietnamNationalParty AllianceforDemocracyinVietnam VietnamRestorationParty DaiVietRevolutionaryParty NationalCongressofVietnameseAmericans VietnamReformParty VietnamPopulistParty Vietnamcorruption ProgressionPartyVietnam PeoplesDemocraticParty NguyenTanDung economicsinVietnam Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/20/3754090.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/20/3754090.html Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:12:39 -0700 The Senate Education Committee has sent AB2064 to the Appropriations Committee on a 5 - 0 vote. I had a very nice experience last weekend to become reacquainted with my State Senator (District 11) Joe Simitian. He held sidewalk office hours at the Farmers Markets in Palo Alto and Menlo Park to hear from constituents about things that interested them. I didn't learn much about the Vietnam War at UC Berkeley, even though I attended in middle age during the1980s and students who were refugees from South Vietnam were already attending--and succeeding. With the help of Amnesty International they gave a poetry reading and the first English translation of the dissident poet Nguyen Chi Thien, imprisoned in his native North Vietnam. Therefore I was teaching what I didn't know from the textbooks as a guide. Then I began to learn from community college students. The first lesson occurred at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. A student told the story of his father, who was celebrated in the local papers when he volunteered to serve in Vietnam on the same day that he achieved U.S. citizenship, having immigrated from Portugal. When his father returned he wore his uniform and medals proudly around town until the family went to the corner market, where he was spit on by the owner. This man was not an antiwar activist. In fact he was quite disreputable, having a shop that sold things to young people out the back door that could not be properly purchased in the front. He was loud and belligerant. He spit on my student's father in American uniform because "you lost." We talked in class about this quite a bit. I was shocked because I thought only antiwar activists spit on U.S. soldiers, calling them "babykillers." The next lesson occurred at De Anza College. De Anza College is in Joe Simitian's Senate District 11. A student in my U.S. History class stood up in tears and told me and her classmates (only about 10% of whom were of Vietnamese ancestry) that the textbook was wrong, and that Ho Chi Minh was a war criminal. Shocked again, I asked her why and she talked about the imprisonment of the entire South Vietnamese officer corps and civilian government after the Communist victory of April 1975. Over a million people were imprisoned in "reeducation camps" which had been named by Ho Chi Minh when establishing them in North Vietnam in June 1961. This was 2003, and I had never heard of reeducation camps. Political imprisonment by the Socialist Republic is the primary reason for the largest immigration of Vietnamese to the U.S., through the H.O. program of the early 1990. The children were my students, and that is why they were here. I have since learned that Marianne Brems, at Mission College, began assigning experience stories from students in 1993. The essays are online. I learned upon talking with people who immigrated to the United States and with further study of established historical sources that when Ho Chi Minh's government, when handed the country of North Vietnam by the Geneva Accords of 1954, had systematically killed nearly 200,000 people who were landowners. It was only necessary to own a small bit of land, less than 1 acre, to be denounced and executed. This was all in North Vietnam. The South Vietnam middle class was protected by the Diem government and gradually by the U.S. forces whose presence was initiated by President Eisenhower. The purpose of U.S. forces was containing Communist aggression. The issues and materials about the Secret War in Laos and the Hmong who fought on the side of the United States that is the subject of AB2064 are growing as the people immigrate to the U.S. after being in refugee camps in Thailand for many years, only to face deportation to Laos --and sure death-- in 2004. Not a typo, 2004. This is the infusion of new immigration that has resulted in the demand for historical recognition in textbooks. Duc Nguyen, a filmmaker, has been coming to meetings and encouraging the application of Vietnamese American education professionals to the California Dept. of Education. He testified to the Curriculum Framework Committee public session in San Jose on May 30 that the current textbook on the Vietnam War for middle school students in Oakland contained 31 first-person essays. None of them were by a Vietnamese American. The significance of AB2064 is that it is inclusive of all immigrant groups and their experiences as they related to the Vietnam War. This is not only who came, and what they left, but why and how and what happened after they came to America. The Digital Clubhouse at the San Jose History Park has been doing an excellent job with this by having students interview immigrants. Sometimes it is their own family, sometimes others. I have learned so much but the most valuable lesson is cooperation among the new and the old. Senator Simitian responded immediately to the idea that AB064 is based on the success of the pioneer Black Studies movement in the 1960s and 1970s, which we both remember well. All the groups -- Latinos, the Women's Movement, Asian Americans from 19th and early 20th century immmigration, credit the Black Studies movement for curriculum inclusion as paving the way for citizen participation in education. Thank you, California Senate Education Committee for quickly sending AB064 to the Appropriations Committee. Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com Main Page History Correction LoasMemorial MarkPfeifer HmongCulturalCenter SenatorJoeSimitian DucNguyen BlackStudies DigitalClubhouse Vietnamesepoetry UCBerkeley refugees reeducationcamps NorthVietnam NguyenChiThien LaosSecretWar Laos JeanLibby HOProgram HoChiMinh Hmong HistorySocialScienceFramework EchofromtheAbyss deportation DeAnzaCollege communistprisons communistprisoners CambodianVietnamWar CaliforniaStateBoardofEducation CaliforniaSocialScienceFramework California AssemblymanJuanArambula amnestyinternational AB2064 31stAssemblyDistrict Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/7/3733196.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/6/7/3733196.html Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:56:10 -0700 English translation by Nguyen Chi Thien, the author of Hoa Lo, Hanoi Hilton Stores (Yale University Council on Southeast Asia Studies, 2007) "The Vietnamese refugees who have their relatives who died in reeducation camps located in the jungles of North Vietnam (after the fall of Saigon) demanded that the remains of their relatives should be brought home. These graves have been neglected so long. The Vietnamese government has accepted this non-political humanitarian demand. HO/POW Association P. O. Box 8496 Pear Land TX 77584 Tel. 832-725-3231. USA, March 23, 2008 Translation on June 5, 2008. Thank you Mike Benge for alerting us about this new policy of the VN government. Main Page Nguyen Chi Thien, dissident poet Vietnamese Communities NguyenChiThien HOPOWAssociation Texas refugees reeducationcamps NorthVietnam MikeBenge HoaLoHanoiHiltonStories communistprisons communistprisoners Communist ARVN April30 Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/28/3716832.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/28/3716832.html Wed, 28 May 2008 06:24:40 -0700 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. Main Page Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern Vesek2008 NguyenDinhThang InternationalBuddhistInformationBureauIBIB communistprisons communistprisoners BoatPeopleSOS Bloc8406 Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/27/3714726.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/27/3714726.html Tue, 27 May 2008 08:51:20 -0700 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 Main Page Vietnamese Communities NghiaVo Vietnamesepoetry Vietnamesehistory VietAmReview TrinhDo SanJose refugees reeducationcamps QuangXPham prisoners NguyenChiThien LaosSecretWar JeanLibby HistorySocialScienceFramework CaliforniaStateBoardofEducation CaliforniaSocialScienceFramework Californiaassembly California BoatPeople BlackApril AndrewLam AB2064 Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/19/3700275.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/19/3700275.html Mon, 19 May 2008 13:47:23 -0700 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 Main Page Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern DavidKramer BrettBlackshaw USStateDept NgaiXNguyen MichaelOrona Hanoi DemocraticPartyVietnam CongresswomanZoeLofgren CongressmanRohrabacher communistprisons communistprisoners Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/14/3691309.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/14/3691309.html Wed, 14 May 2008 15:17:39 -0700 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 _____________________________________________ Main Page Freedom for Vietnam Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern Hoang Minh Chinh, elder dissident USCongress viettan TranKhue ThichThienMinh ThichThienHanh NguyenXuanNghia NguyenThiAnNhan NguyenChinhKet Manifesto2006 LeQuocQuan InternationalBuddhistInformationBureauIBIB HR3096 HoangMinhChinh CongressmanChrisSmith communistprisons communistprisoners CommitteeforHumanRightsinVietnam Bloc8406 Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/9/3682843.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/9/3682843.html Fri, 09 May 2008 10:37:09 -0700 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 Main Page Vietnam Vesek2008 USCIRF UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam ThichQuangDo ThichHuyenQuang SramanaThichQuangDo SophieRichardson religiousfreedom QueMe InternationalBuddhistInformationBureauIBIB HumanRightsWatch Humanrightscaucus Hanoi CongressmanFrankWolf Buddhist ActionforDemocracyVietNam Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/5/3676863.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/5/3676863.html Mon, 05 May 2008 16:39:33 -0700 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 Main Page Vietnamese Communities AB2064 MarkLeno HistorySocialScienceFramework CaliforniaStateBoardofEducation Vietnamesestudents veterans UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam SouthVietnam Mennonite LaosSecretWar Laos IRCC immigration HOProgram Hmong DegarChurch communistprisons communistprisoners CambodianAmericans Californiaassembly Buddhist BoatPeople AssemblymanJuanArambula ARVN AmerasianHomecomingAct AmerasianFellowshipAssociation Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/2/3671846.html http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/2/3671846.html Fri, 02 May 2008 11:10:26 -0700 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. Main Page Human Rights, Countries of Particular Concern UnifiedBuddhistChurchVietnam religiousfreedom ProtestantChurchofVietnam Mennonite haohoabuddhist DegarChurch Buddhist Viet-Am Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives