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[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 51 Introduced in House (IH)]

106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 51

 Expressing the sense of the Congress that Dr. Doan Viet Hoat is to be 
 praised and honored for his commitment to fight for democratic change 
                              in Vietnam.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 1999

Ms. Sanchez (for herself, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, and Mr. 
Davis of Virginia) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
        was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress that Dr. Doan Viet Hoat is to be 
 praised and honored for his commitment to fight for democratic change 
                              in Vietnam.

Whereas Doan Viet Hoat spent his life fighting for democratic change in Vietnam 
        and has spent 19 of the last 21 years in Vietnamese prisons for his 
        efforts to bring democracy to his homeland;
Whereas Doan Viet Hoat, an educator, received a doctorate in Education and 
        College Administration from Florida State University in 1971 and was 
        Assistant to the Chancellor of Van Hanh University in Saigon from 1971 
        to 1975;
Whereas Doan Viet Hoat was denounced for his relationship with the United States 
        and sentenced in 1976 to 12 years in Chi Hoa Prison without a trial, 
        where he continued to write essays calling for democracy, human rights, 
        and free elections for Vietnam;
Whereas after his release from prison, Doan Viet Hoat founded the Dien Dan To Do 
        (Freedom Forum) newsletter and continued to publish prodemocracy 
        articles;
Whereas in 1990, the Vietnamese authorities sentenced him to a 20-year prison 
        sentence for attempting to overthrow the government by establishing a 
        political organization and using the publication as an instrument to 
        mobilize the public;
Whereas Doan Viet Hoat received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and the 
        Golden Pen of Freedom Award of the World Association of Newspapers for 
        his contributions to the cause of freedom;
Whereas for nearly 20 years as a political prisoner, Doan Viet Hoat has been an 
        example of great moral strength and courage for other political 
        prisoners, refusing offers of freedom in exchange for a renunciation of 
        his personal and political beliefs;
Whereas Doan Viet Hoat was released on August 29, 1998, from prison in Vietnam, 
        and was admitted to the United States as a refugee after considerable 
        pressure was exerted upon the Vietnamese Government to release prisoners 
        of conscience;
Whereas Doan Viet Hoat called for the abolishment of the directive on 
        ``administrative detainment'' which allows security forces to detain 
        dissidents for up to 2 years without trial; and
Whereas Dr. Doan Viet Hoat has dedicated his entire life to the cause of freedom 
        and democracy for his fellow Vietnamese, at the price of his own 
        freedom: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that Doan Viet Hoat is to be 
praised and honored for his contributions to the cause of democracy in 
Vietnam.
                                 <all>
```