Date: 2001-09-06
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 2833. the Viet Nam Human Rights Act of 2001. As an original cosponsor of this landmark legislation. I believe passage of the Viet Nam Human Rights Act will send a strong message to the Hanoi regime and to its victims that expansion of trade relations does not imply approval of or complacency about the continuing pattern of severe human rights violations in Vietnam. As an ardent supporter of human rights and a strong proponent of free trade. I want to stress that the Viet Nam Human Rights Act is about aid. not trade. This legislation sends a clear message to Hanoi. and also to other interested observers including the VietnameseAmerican community. that the U.S. is serious about our commitment to the principles of free speech. freedom of expression. and the freedom of religious exercise. As a founding member of the Congressional Dialogue on Viet Nam and a member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. I am acutely aware of the Vietnamese governments human rights violations. including religious persecution and indefinite criminal sentences for political prisoners. On May 12 of this year. I attended a hearing which addressed the issue or religious suppression and persecution in Vietnam. My colleagues and I heard testimony from many religious VietnameseAmerican leaders who shared their perspectives on this important issue. Many of them had suffered personally at the hands of the Vietnamese government. In July. I sent a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell before he went to Vietnam. asking him to raise these very issues with the government. September6. 2001 This legislation sets a framework for an honest and detailed assessment of the human rights. situation in Vietnam. It accurately identifies violations by the Vietnamese government against the rights of the Vietnamese people to exercise their freedom of expression. association. and religion. and the rights of workers. as well as persecution of religious figures and ethnic minorities including the Montagnards and other people associated with the U.S. prior to 1975. In addition. H.R. 2833 summarizes the history of U.S. policy towards Vietnamese refugees and of normalization of U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic and trade relations. This legislation concludes that Congress and the American people are united in their belief that expansion of trade relations should not and must not be construed as approval of or ignorance about the Vietnamese governments human rights violations. Furthermore. we. the government and the American people. seriously believe that the promotion of freedom and democracy must be central to U.S. foreign policy This legislation makes conditional any increases in foreign assistance. other than humanitarian assistance. to the Vietnamese government on a finding by the President that they have made substantial progress toward meeting certain human rights benchmarks. which include the release of all political and religious prisoners from all forms of detention including imprisonment and house arrest. respect by" the Vietnamese government towards the right to freedom of religion. including the right to participate in religious organizations not connected to the Vietnamese government. respect for the rights of members of ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands and. elsewhere. and an end to government complicity in severe forms of trafficking in human beings. in particular. women and children. This bill will also require an enforcement of a provision of a current law designed to withhold nonhumanitarian loans and other extensions of funds from international financial institutions to governments that consistently commit gross violations of fundamental human rights. This legislation will help to actively promote freedom and democracy in Vietnam by authorizing assistance to nongovernmental organizations committed to encouraging and advancing these principles in Vietnam. Additionally. this legislation declares it to be the policy of the United States to take such measures as are necessary to overcome the jamming of Radio Free Asia by the Vietnamese government. It requires periodic reports on efforts by the U.S. government to secure transmission sites for Radio Free Asia in countries near Vietnam. It also authorizes additional funding to enhance transmission facilities in order to overcome jamming. This bill seeks to ensure that U.S. educational and cultural exchange programs promote American values. It requires the U.S. State Department to take steps to make sure that U.S. cultural and exchange programs are open to people who share our values. not just Vietnamese government and Communist Party officials and persons close to them. Finally. this bill would declare it to be the policy of the United States to offer refugee resettlement to residents of Vietnam who met the statutory criteria for the Orderly Departure Program and other refugee programs. but who were incorrectly deemed ineligible for such programs or who. for reasons beyond their own control including but not limited to inability to pay bribes demanded by Vietnamese government officials. were denied access to U.S. programs in time for deadlines imposed by State Department officials. This legislation also requires the State Department to report on what steps it has taken to provide such persons with access to U.S. refugee resettlement. This bill does not affect any form of humanitarian aasistance. nor does it limit assistance that is provided through nongovernmental organizations. Essentially. the Viet Nam Human Rights Act will require the Vietnamese government to make substantial progress towards the release of political and religious prisoners. and an end to religious persecution. respect for the rights of ethnic minorities. and elimination of trafficking in human beings before receiving any furtherincreases in governmenttogovernment U.S. aid. It is my strong belief that this is the least we can do for all those being oppressed by the Communist Government. For these reasons. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2833 so that we can hold the Vietnamese government accountable for the human rights abuses committed by their regimes and hopefully bring justice to the Vietnamese people. I commend the gentleman from New Jersey and his staff for their hard work and commitment in bringing attention to this important issue.