Human Rights
Watchdogs Urge Bush to Promote Religious Freedom in Vietnam
Monday,
June 20 , 2005
The Vietnamese Prime Minister
Phan Van Khai commenced a visit to the United States on Sunday 19th June 2005 in
Seattle, the first stop on the four-city tour. It is the first visit of a
Vietnamese official in U.S. since the Vietnamese War. A meeting with President
Bush is scheduled for Tuesday.
During the visit and
meeting with President Bush, PM Khai is expected to push to accelerate
negotiations for Vietnam's membership to the World Trade Organisation by the end
of this year.
However, many human
rights watchdogs are urging President Bush to highlight the human rights and
religious freedom issues during the talks.
The U.S. Commission on
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) states although trade and military ties
had increased, significant problems in bilateral relations - especially relating
to human rights -would hinder further growth of the relationship.
"Vietnam's economic
openness has not led directly to political openness, and freedoms of speech,
assembly, association, and religion continue to be significantly restricted,"
vice-chair Nina Shea expressed.
Just recently, USCIRF
designated Vietnam a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for persecuting
minority Protestants, Catholics and independent Buddhists.
Open Doors USA ranks
Vietnam as the third most dangerous country within 50 countries "where
Christians suffer most for their faith."
President of Open Doors
Dr. Carl Moeller joined the others urging President Bush to focus on religious
freedom during the talks with PM Khai.
"Vietnam has made
promises this year to give religious liberty to all groups - including
Christians - and allow freedom to worship," he said.
"However, the reality is
that Christians are still being arrested and harassed, especially the minority
Montagnard Christians in the Central Highlands."
The Vietnamese-American
Public Affairs Committee (VPAC) released a copy of a letter written to Bush and
Khai by family members of three men serving lengthy prison terms for
"espionage." They are asking Bush for his support and calls for Khai to "resolve
this injustice."
Dozens of lawmakers
joined the campaign sending a letter to President Bush to highlight human rights
during the meeting: "We call on you to convey to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai
our deep concern over the conditions of human rights and religious freedom in
Vietnam," they said in a letter.
The demonstration on
Tuesday will be held in Washington at Freedom Plaza, as PM Khai will meet
President Bush in the White House. The rally is organised by four organisations;
the Montagnard Foundation, the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation, the World Hmong
Congress and the Tai Solidarity International.
They call on the U.S.
Government to consider the respect of human rights and the promotion of
democracy in Vietnam as necessary conditions to establish favourable political
and economic relations with the Vietnamese Government, according to released
Appeal to the US Government.
In a joint statement,
the four groups said they represented indigenous peoples which had "paid the
highest price since the Communist dictatorship took over South Indochina in
1975."
"We urge the US Congress
and Government to use all its political and economic powers to pressure Vietnam
to respect the basic rights of all the citizens of Vietnam such as the right to
own our ancestral lands, the right to religious freedom, freedom of assembly and
the right to democracy."
Anna Lisa
anna@christiantoday.com