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“IN ANTICIPATION OF VIETNAMESE PRIME MINISTER NGUYEN'S OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE U.S.” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1286-E1287 on June 19, 2008.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN ANTICIPATION OF VIETNAMESE PRIME MINISTER NGUYEN'S OFFICIAL VISIT TO
THE U.S.
______
HON. FRANK R. WOLF
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, next Tuesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen will visit the White House. I sincerely hope that the President will seize this opportunity to be bold and make Vietnam's deplorable human rights record a point of focus. Any further cooperation between the U.S. and Vietnam should be contingent upon establishing benchmarks for improved human rights and increased religious freedom in Vietnam.
Vietnam's human rights record remains a disgrace despite its ascension to the World Trade Organization--a move that many believed would help liberalize the political as well as the economic situation. The citizens of Vietnam today remain unable to change their government. Last November, the government arrested and imprisoned two Vietnamese citizens and three foreign citizens for preparing pamphlets which advocated democratic change in Vietnam. One of those five is an American citizen, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, who continues to languish in prison despite numerous appeals by the U.S. government for his release.
According the Human Rights Watch, since mid-2006, 40 peaceful activists have been arrested. They join the over 350 religious and political prisoners sentenced since 2001. Vietnam it not progressing, it is regressing. Government officials continue to harass religious groups.
Religious institutions are required to apply for permits; but many of these applications are ignored or denied leaving congregations without protection of the law and vulnerable to abuse. In the Central Highlands, provincial officials have been trained to deny medical, educational, financial and other government services to religious families. Local police beat a Protestant man in Phu Yen province for refusing to renounce his religion; he later died of internal injuries from the beating. The activities of the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam are actively banned.
I was disappointed when the State Department removed Vietnam from its list of Countries of Particular Concern in regard to religious freedom. I have asked the State Department that Vietnam be added back onto the list.
Trafficking in persons also remains a major problem. Vietnam was listed as a Tier Two country in the State Department's 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report. Poor women and teenage girls in rural areas remain most at risk of being trafficked, primarily for sexual exploitation.
I was very disappointed when I read of an exchange U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak had with journalists and he only mentioned human rights one time. I have written to Ambassador Michalak several times and urged him to make promoting human rights his top priority.
The U.S. Embassy in Vietnam should be an island of freedom and work to promote human liberty and dignity. Regrettably, it is not. Several of my colleagues have joined me in writing Ambassador Michalak and asking that he invite all Vietnamese dissidents to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi on July 4--America's Independence Day. I look forward to his response.
I will continue speaking out for the Vietnamese people who want to see their government turn away from violence and repression, and embrace the universal principles of human rights and religious freedom.
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