From: htran@elesium.mitre.org (Hai Tran)
Subject: Re: Prime time live/The Lost Genenration
Followup-To: alt.politics.vietnamese 
Organization: MITRE Corp., Washington Group, McLean, VA
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 16:00:42 GMT

In article <86I.02qS30Ay01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> vqt00@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Married With Children) writes:
>
>In article <C07Dy5.KCE@news.iastate.edu> you write:
>>
>>	Did anyone see "Prime Time Live" on Thursday, December 31, 1992?
>>There was a story about an Irish woman who is spending her time in Vietnam to
>>help the needy people, especially the orphan children and those children who
>>are born defected (without arms and legs). The story was very touching and I
>>feel that those children do not deserve this kind of tragedy. The government of
>>Vietnam is very insensitive to these children, and they apparently ignore this 
>>problem. Does the government of Vietnam feel ashamed of themselves? I do not 
>>think that they care.
>
>I feel that WE also ignore the problem.  Many of us feel that by helping
>these poor kids, we help strengthen the communist government.  As a result
>these poor kids go hungry.

	Here is some perspective on what happened to the children in
Vietnam.

	After the takeover of South Vietnam, the government announced
that the Party and Uncle Ho would take care of the children because
they want to implement their policy:

	"Vi` lo+.i i'ch mu+o+`i na(m, tro^`ng ca^y,
	Vi` lo+.i i'ch tra(m na(m, tro^`ng ngu+o+`i.

	The political lessons we were taught were

	"To enjoy the shade, start planting trees,
	To build Communism paradise, start molding people.

	The children were then organized into the Pionner Youth
Leagues or Volunteer Organizations and at first, supported by the
government. By about 1978, when the invasion of Cambodia was
immminent, these Volunteer Organizations were sent to support the
logistics effort.  
	
	The Pioneer Youth Leagues also began to unravel because
of excessive political indoctrination and conscious effort to exloit
the eagerness of these very young children by asking them to inform
the authority of their parents hidden properties. (Aug. 1978, 2
children were given awards for coming forward about their parents
hiding their family precious items during the campaign of "Business
Reforms" of 1976.)

	During those years, the Hanoi regime still received a
significant amount of foreign aid from the Soviet Union (estimated 1
US Billion a year.) Starting with Gorbachev in 1985, these aids began
to decrease and gradually disappears, the economy was in tatters
because of corruption and incompetence. The children became the
members of the Lost Generation. The Party members were only thinking
about keeping their power and hoard up as fast as they can. They
themselves were not sure how long their privileges would last.

	Put yourself in the situations of these children. Every child
wants to go to school, to learn, to play, to grow up. When they are
abandoned by the authority and their family are also struggling for
the daily meals, what do you think would become of them?

	A REGIME SHOULD BE JUDGED ON HOW IT IS TAKING CARE OF THE
UNDERPRIVELEGED IN THE SOCIETY, NOT ON ITS PROMISES.


htran@mitre.org

	  


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