Date: 2005-05-03
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of H. Res. 228. which I introduced to observe the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Republic of Vietnam to the Communist forces of North Vietnam. As you know. the Republic of Vietnam succumbed to North Vietnamese Communist troops on April 30. 1975. This dark day was a great tragedy not only for Vietnamese people. but for all democratic governments and free people in the world. America reacted quickly by opening its hearts and borders to over one million Vietnamese refugees. Another one million people fled to Europe. Australia. and Canada. and almost one million died en route to freedom. Many came here by surviving incredible hardships. They risked -their lives on rickety boats facing pirates. starvation. and the perils of being at sea on open boats for weeks and months on end. Others escaped through dangerous mountainous and jungle terrain and those who were not so lucky were forced into so called "Reeducation Camps" which were nothing more than concentration camps designed to torture and kill people who opposed the community regime. Soldiers. writers..journalists. members of the clergy and other religious leaders all suffered the same fate in these camps: humiliation. torture. and often. death. We owe all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War. both American and Vietnamese. a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. While we pay homage to these fallen heroes with resolutions and commertorations. the most fitting tribute is the enduring memory of their lives. Madam Speaker. in 1994 the United States ended its trade embargo with Vietnam and normalized relations with Hanoi. While the U.S. continues to open diplomatic relations with Vietnam. we must remember that many issues remain unresolved. including human rights violations. lack of religious freedom. and government corruption. I have traveled to Vietnam many times to learn about these issues firsthand. as well as to raise these concerns with highlevel officials. In addition. the large VietnameseAmerican community in my congressional district continues to keep me apprised of the situation. As a member of the Vietnam Caucus. I am dedicated to promoting awareness and policy debates among the U.S. Congress. the American public. and the international community about the greater need for fundamental human rights in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Madam Speaker. I urge every citizen of the United States to share in remembering this dark chapter in history. We must strive to have a greater understanding of the role these events had in hollowing the Vietnamese people of their liberty to provide the necessary leadership so that one day the Vietnamese people may enjoy freedom. democracy. and equality. I am hopeful H. Res. 228 will serve as a sensible voice of reason and help move the Vietnamese people one step closer toward ultimate liberation and freedom. At the least. however. I believe it will help shed much needed light on the atrocities committed by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam everyday on its own citizens. I would like to thank the other cochairs of the Vietnam Caucus. LORETTA SANCHEZ. CHRIS SMITH. and ZOE LOFGREN. for their support and urge my colleagues to join me in the passage of this resolution.