Date: 2007-05-01
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: On

February 18. 2007. the second day. of the Florida. Mr. Speaker. I thank my good Lunar New Year. which is the most sacred friend from New Jersey for the time. time in Vietnamese culture. the communist I rise in support of Mr. SMITHs reso- security forces raided Father Nguyen Van listnin tLys office within the Communal Residence of the Hue Archdiocese. Father Ly was later I was listening to another dear friend banished to a remote. secluded area in Hue. whom I greatly admire. Mr. WOLF. and On March 5. 2007. security forces in Saigon I want to thank once again Mr. SMITH told Mrs. Bui Ngoc Yen that they had an of New Jersey and Mr. WOLF of Vir- order to arrest her husband. Professor ginia for consistently being the voices Nguyen Chinh Kiet. who is a leading member for the oppressed- throughout the of the Alliance for Democracy *and Human world. Rights in Vietnam. Professor Kiet was in EuMartin Luther King said. "An injus- rope at the time campaigning for democracy and human rights in Vietnani. rice anywhere is an affront to justice On March 8. 2007. Reverend Nguyen Cong everywhere." And that is what this res- Chinch and his wife were brutally assaulted olution is about. The men and women by security forces of Gia Lai Province in the who are languishing in the prisons in Central Highlands. who then arrested RevVietnam. those being tortured. the peo-- erend Chinch on undisclosed charges. ple being tortured because of their reli- Also on March 8. 2007. two prominent gious beliefs. because of their views on human rights activists and lawyers. Mr. - Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan. issues. because of their political aspira- were arrested in Hanoi and were told that tions for democracy. they are being they would be detained for four months as tortured systematically. and that re- part of an undisclosed investigation. gime needs to be condemned not only On March 9. 2007. Mr. Tran Van Hoa." a by history but by the Congress of the member of the Peoples Democracy Party in United States. And- that is why I sup- Quang Ninh Province. and Mr. Pham Van port so strongly this resolution by Mr. Troi. a member of the Committee for Human SMITH. Rights in Ha Tay. were summoned by secuAndTH. irity forces and threatened with "immeasAnd it is appropriate. as Mr. WOLF urable consequences" if they do not stop did. to bring out the torture also being their advocacy for human rights in Vietnam. committed by the regime in China. OnMarch 10. 2007. Do Nam Hal. an engineer mainland China. That is also a fascist writing under the pen name.Phuong Nam communist regime. These regimes con- and one of the leading members of the Allitinue to be communist. but by opening ance fdr Democracy and Human Rights in the economy. they manage to get mas- Vietnam. was told by security forces that he sive investments from Big Business could be indicted at any time for activity throughout the world. against the State. Also on March 10. 2007. state security And I heard Mr. WOLF talk about how forces also raided the home of Ms. Tran Khai now Mr. Spielberg apparently is lob- Thanh Thuy. a writer. on the grounds that. bying for the Chinese communist re- she advocated for "people with grievances" gime. It doesnt surprise me. after hay- against the government. They took away ing met for hours with Fidel Castro two computers. two cell phones. and hunand having. said that that was one of dreds of appeals that she had prepared for the greatest experiences of his life. victims of the governments abuses. March 1. 2007. lawyer Le Quoc Quan. a comparable to the birth of his child. So consultant on local governance for the World it doesnt surprise me. Bank. Asian Development Bank. UNDP. and It doesnt surprise me about Big Swedish International Development Agency. Business going into Vietnam and China was arrested in his hometown. Nghe An. less and getting profits from the exploi- than a week after he returned from a fellowtation of the workers by the corn- ship at the National Endowment for Democmunist regimes. racy in Washington. D.C. His whereabouts So I want to simply thank the gen- are unknown at this time. tleman for the time. and I am in strong tOh April 5. 2007. the Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi rudely prevented Congresssupport of this resolution. It is con- woman Loretta Sanchez (DCA) frommeetsistent with the best traditions of the ing with several dissidents wives at a gathCongress of the United States. ering organized at the U.S. Ambassadors