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New Coalition for a Free Asia Promises Results
HR Leaders from China, Korea and ASEAN Now Cooperating
By Court Pearman
Following a spree of large-scale democracy and anti-communist Demonstrations in Washington, community and activist leaders came together in Falls Church, VA on May 9 for a special networking workshop on human rights and Democracy in Asia.
Representatives from China, Uyughur East Turkistan, Tibet, Laos, Burma, North Korea and Vietnam were in attendance visiting from as far as California. "It took over one year to get everyone here," said Tony Nguyen of Vietnam Human Rights Network who took the lead in reaching out to the other leaders. Tony was one of the founders of Radio Free Asia (RFA) in 1995 and says the networking formula was successful in forming RFA, now a federally funded institution, and he has faith it will work for this project as well.
"Asia is very divided, and those divisions all too often remain in the Minds of activists who must work together to defeat such monstrous institutions as totalitarian regimes," said Keith Ware of Global Mission Rescue, an NGO committed to rescuing orphans of Falun Gong practitioners from the People's Republic of China. "As an activist in this city for many years, I am excited to see long overdue cooperation in Asia activists."
Cooperation and how to do it was the key objective for the meeting. The format was loose and respectful; a few of the participants volunteered to mediate at different times as a representative from each nation or territory took turns introducing their mission and the state of affairs in their regions with regards to human rights and democracy.
The end of the meeting saw the formation of a tangible coalition named Network for Human Rights and Democracy in Asia, and a steering Committee with shared leadership from Dr. Sen Nieh, president of Global Coalition of Bye CCP, and Sin Vilay of the United Lao Action Center.
Participants voted in four founding principles
1. To pledge solidarity and mutual support on the part of Asian Human Rights and Democracy groups in the United States with Burma, China, Korea, Laos, Tibet, Uyghur and Vietnam.
2. Accelerate democratization and observance of human rights in these Nations and territories.
3. Stimulate and facilitate the coordination of programsof mutual interest, whether already underway or being proposed.
4. To use the power of the Network to seek stronger international support for human rights and democracy in the entire Asian region.
"I wish to begin by telling the tragic story of my beloved native land," said Mr. Vilay. "The world community apparently assumes the silence of the Lao people is golden and signifies their peace and satisfaction, when in fact their voice over three decades has been muffled by the tyranny of terror." Mr. Vilay went on to tell the story of the small nation that earned the title "most bombed country in history" during the Vietnam conflict. He says that the world has forgotten his countrymen who laid down their lives to fight communism alongside the United States and their allies. Vilay, like the others in attendance, is determined to bring his motherland's sorrows back into the spotlight, and is looking for allies.
Vilay may have found a friend in Rebiya Kadeer, a high profile Uyughur political prisoner recently released from China for medical reasons and international pressure. She attended with Alim Seytoff, President of the American Uyughur Association. Ms. Kadeer was sentenced to eight years by Chinese communists and served five and a half; her alleged crime was revealing state secrets, the evidence being Chinese newspaper clippings from state-run media that she sent to her husband in the United States. While in jail Rebiya says she suffered physical torture including beatings and starvation.
East Turkistan is a little known Islamic territory that is ethnically different than the majority of China, however the region is rich in natural resources, and has suffered increased pressure since 9-11. The Chinese Central Government claims that the region being Islamic is prone to terrorist activity, however no clear evidence has been provided of any such activity.
Another powerful friend to the coalition is Karma G. Zurkhang, long Time Tibet activist and president of Capital Area Tibetan Association (CATA). "We are one of the smallest groups, but also the loudest," said Mr. Zurkhang with a smile. The participants in the room were well aware of the success of the Free Tibet campaign.
Several countries from ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) were represented, including Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). The ASEAN region right now, along with China, is viewed as one of the world's economic hotspots, and the West has been increasing trade and tourism to these nations. However human rights activists have been struggling to attach clauses to trade and political agreements demanding human rights improvements and transparency.
Tony Nguyen of Vietnam Human Rights Network is working to remind the Public that Vietnam is still the ruthless regime that the United States and its allies fought against in the 1970s. "Before the communists took over thirty years ago, South Vietnam had the same standard of living as Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, even Taipei.Vietnam is one of the worlds poorest countries, without human rights and democracy there will be no progress."
Kok Ksor of the Montagnard Foundation in South Carolina represented a minority in Vietnam's Central Highlands that few people know of. "My People are being persecuted because of our Christian faith. We lost our Livelihood when the Vietnamese Communists confiscated our land and farms. In 1975, we were 1.5 million strong and are now reduced to only 600,000. The regime imposed an ethnic cleansing policy on us."
One participant spoke up, "I have been an Asia human rights activist In Washington for four years, and in these few hours I have learned about struggles and regions I did not know before. People have to be made conscious."
The network has sworn to help one another in their battles for the consciousness of the American mainstream and government. Participants voiced their wishes to include more organizations and nation represents in the future. With this all-star cast of activists, communist Asia will have a force to be reckoned with on the hill and in the media.
For more information contact Sin Vilay 480-993-8558 laodemo@cs.com
Vietnam Human Rights Network |