Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Tue, 10 Nov 1992 16:04:59 -0600
From:         Max Becherer <becherer@SUNA0.CS.UIUC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Vietnam Update - Social Science

> On November 6th the Division of Pacific and Asian History and the
> Department of Political and Social Change, both of the Research School of
> Pacific Stdies, The Australian National University hosted the third annual
> Vietnam Update.

> PROGRAM

> 8:45 am Opening
> H.E. Nguyen Thanh Chau, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to
> Australia               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

       <<<<<<< Program Guide Deleted >>>>>>>

> PS Once again, I am left wondering how the polarized discussion of
> US-Vietnamese normalization relates to the issues discussed at this
> conference: the decline in public health due to the shift towards a market
> economy; the success of the government in overcoming a trade imbalance,
> controlling inflation; moves to privatize state enterprise; constitutional
> and electoral reform efforts; legal legislation to ensure safe labor
> practices; how to assess Vietnam's move toward the 'rule of law' and
> practical legal problems encountered in Vietnam today by foreign
> residents, including business firms.

> Carl Thayer

    Once again I am left wondering why Mr the issues of democratic reform
and human rights are being relegated to unimportance. Tell me, Mr thayer, was
the issue of human rights EVER seriously discussed in your meetings ?  Mr.
Nguyen Thanh Chau's presance at the meeting suggests not.
    Nguyen Thanh Chau is an agent of the regime which is brutalizing the
Vietnamese people, a regime which has not the tiniest shred of legitimacy.
Why, I wonder, is someone like this treated as an honored guest ?  Certainly,
an ambassador from the SCORC regime in Burma wouldn't be treated the same
way.
   Mr. Thayer, I am sure your intentions are good (at least, I hope they are),
but you must understand that the Hanoi regime has a long history of lying and
manipulating well-meaning Westerners.  Nguyen Thanh Chau is a representative
of the Hanoi regime and it's interests, not of the Vietnamese people.  There-
fore, anything he says about Vietnam must be viewed with with a skeptical eye.
The only real difference between Hanoi and SLORC is that Hanoi is considerably
more sophisticated than SLORC is when it comes to manipulating foreign public
opinion.  As far as brutality and legitimacy are concerned, there is little
difference between the two; overall, SLORC is probably slightly worse than
Hanoi, but not by much!

                                  Max Becherer



P.S.  As far as medicine is concerned, it is hard to imagine how it could
get worse than before the so-called doi-moi program.  My best friend saw
first hand what Hanoi's supposidly free medical system is like.
    His appendix had ruptured, and needed to be taken out immediately, or
he would die.  Since his father was a South Vietnamese soldier, however,
his family is ineligible for medical care; they had to bribe the hospital
officials just to get him in the door.  He finally did have is appendix
removed...without anesthetic.  Welcome to social justice, Hanoi-style!
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