Human Rights: Senior State Department Reps in Vietnam

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 Record.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, following a meeting with Dr. Nguyen, agreed to send a letter signed by her Congressional colleagues to President Bush and Secretary Rice condemning the ongoing human rights abuses in Vietnam, and demanding that there be substantial progress in the Human Rights Dialogue in Hanoi May 29 towards the release of its political and religious prisoners or they would recommend Vietnam be returned to the CPC list.

Dr. Nguyen, on this trip to Washington, D.C., thanked the various U.S. officials for their continued efforts to bring about real change in Vietnam, but said, “talk is cheap, and it is time to see significant actions and results from the government of Vietnam.”

Contact:

Democratic Party of Vietnam, Overseas Office
Dr. Ngai Nguyen, 1-408-603-5030
ngainguyen@aol.com

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