Date: 2004-05-11
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of House Resolution 613. the resolution which recognizes the 10th anniversary ofVietnam Human Rights Day. which is today. May 11. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for sponsoring this resolution and allowing me to be an original cosponsor. and I am proud to share with the gentleman membership in the Vietnam Caucus. along with the gentlewoman from California and the gentleman from New Jersey . The initiatives of the caucus. including this bill. are examples of what we can accomplish when we decide to work together in a bipartisan manner. Mr. Speaker. I represent the largest Vietnamese community in the world outside of Vietnam in Orange County. California. It is fitting then to speak on the House floor about this anniversary of Vietnam Human Rights Day. More importantly." it is the 14year anniversary of the Manifesto of the Nonviolent Movement For Human Rights. This was.written by a courageous and bright man. Dr. Nguyen Dan Que. I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Que. In fact. I went to his home in 1998 when I was in Vietnam. As we were meeting. his home all locked up. the military police came to the home to try to get me out of there. Of course we had locked up the house. and we continued our conversation. One of the things that Dr. Que said to me was that it was important for America and Americans to continue to push for human -rights in Vietnam. What type of human rights are we talking about here? Well. the right to assemble as we do here today. that is not allowed in Vietnam. The right to choose your own God and the way you want to worship that God. that is not allowed. You have to only do it through the official church or churches that the state of Vietnam approves. The right to free press. Every piece of paper written to be distributed must be done by the state in Vietnam. In fact. when I was meeting with the cardinal of the Catholic Church of Vietnam. he said one of the things that he cannot do is to hand out a newsletter to people that come to church on Sunday. The right to collectively bargain ones labor for decent wages and a decent place to work. All of these things are not allowed in Vietnam. and this is what Dr. Que speaks to. He speaks to the human rights issues within Vietnam. I guess the most important thing that Dr. Que said to me that day in 1998 was that the reason we need to keep pushing for human rights in Vietnam is that it inspires and it gives hope and it gives courage to those within. Vietnam who are fighting for basic human rights. Religious leaders like the Venerable Tic Kwzug Doh. a geologist like Gizug. and General Do. whom I had an opportunity to meet with. who had been a former communist and understood what was going on in the country and decided he would speak out. and. yes. Dr. Que. Mr. Speaker. these are just a few of the dissidents within Vietnam who speak every day. and yet each and every one has been imprisoned. either taken away without charges or with false charges. or imprisoned in house arrest. I hope today we will vote this unanimously to send a strong message that human rights are important in every country. and in particular for those who have not -seen them for a long time.