REPORT
ON THE 2004 INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY AND THE THIRD VIETNAM HUMAN RIGHTS
AWARD PRESENTATION
Santa Ana, 12.12.2004.
The commemoration of the 56th International Human Rights Day and the
presentation of the 3rd Vietnam Human Rights Award were ceremoniously
held in a Santa Ana College auditorium in Santa Ana, California. About 250
guests and Vietnamese compatriots attended the event at the invitation of the
Vietnam Human Rights Network (VHRN), including relatives and friends of the two
awardees, government elective officials, members of the Vietnamese Inter-Faith
Council in the US, representatives of international human rights partner
organizations, religious, political and community based organizations. Most
Vietnamese media agencies in Southern California were also present. (Click here
to see some pictures)
Members of the patriotic Hung Ca
band such as Viet Dzung, Nguyet Anh (from Virginia), Nguyen Xuan Nghia, Tuan
Minh and Tuyet Mai helped warming up the meeting hall with their heroic and
patriotic theme songs prior to the official beginning of the event.
Dr.
Nguyen Ba Tung, Head of the Organizing Committee, came after the opening
ceremonies
with his warm welcome to the guests in a short speech on the significance of the
2004 International Human Rights Day and the third Vietnam Human Rights
Award. He said, “Today,
while celebrating the 56th anniversary of a testament to human
dignity, tolerance, and pluralism, we must denounce the Vietnamese
government’s continual use of violence and terror against its population’s
basic rights. We urge the international community to take strong stand with
regard to undermining human rights for the sake of national security and
economic development interests...The meeting today also provides an opportunity
for the Vietnam Human Rights Network to publicly commend the achievements and
outstanding contribution of those who have been defending
human rights at great costs: imprisonment, torture and even death. This
year the award has a particular significance because it focuses on
the right to free speech, a fundamental building block of free society.
Two award recipients today, Dr Nguyen Dan Que and former Colonel Pham Que Duong,
are the best to embody this utmost value.”
Next, Prof
Nguyen Thanh Trang, Chairman of the VHRN Coordinating Committee, read the
commendations for U.S. Congress members Loretta Sanchez and Ed Royce for their
valuable contributions to the fight for human rights in Vietnam. He especially
praised them in their capacity as co-authors of the Vietnam Human Rights bills
and Congress resolutions aiming at advancing the human rights cause in Vietnam.
He particularly acknowledged Representative Ed Royce for his most valuable
contribution in the establishment of Radio Free Asia, and Representative Loretta
Sanchez for her contact and visits with human rights activists in Vietnam during
her official trips there. Only last week, she was denied her visa to Vietnam by
Hanoi. Due to their busy legislative schedules at the Congress, their respective
representatives, Mr. Bill Cooper and Mr. Ta Khoi, received their certificates of
appreciation and offered thanks to VHRN on their behalf. They also conveyed
their bosses’ promises of support to the fight for human rights in Vietnam.
The representative of state
assemblyman Todd Spitzer, meanwhile, asked the VHRN to offer to Dr. Nguyen Dan
Que and Mr. Pham Que Duong his citations for their sacrifices in fighting for
human rights in Vietnam. Senator Barbara Boxer’s appreciation letter to the
two
awardees and VNHRN also received incessant applause from the audience.
The presentation of the awards took
place first with the commendation by Dr. Tran Dinh Thuy, Chairman of the
Executive Board of the Vietnamese
Medical Association of the Free World, to Dr. Nguyen Dan Que. Apart from
his long history of imprisonment, his indomitableness and his patriotism were
mentioned, particularly the famous statement “Exile does not mean freedom”
he made when he refused to be conditionally freed in exchange for Hanoi’s
demand that he live in exile. Dr. Nguyen Tuong Bach, 88, a relentless freedom
fighter, was asked to present the award to Dr. Nguyen Dan Que’s brother and
representative, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, from Virginia. Dr. Quan said, “Being
kept in isolation in a remote area in Thanh Hoa Province, Dr. Que has no way of
knowing that he is the recipient of the 2004 Vietnam Human Rights Award.
Had he known this, he would be tremendously happy to know that his fellow
countrymen share his convictions and recognize his works.“
Next
came former Republic of Vietnam Navy Captain Nguyen Ngoc Quynh who read the
commendation for former North Vietnamese Colonel Pham Que Duong, the second
award recipient. He explained: “Mr. Duong and I were officers of two opposing
armed forces for more than 20 years. We might have had some direct fights
against each other in the past. So, will it be proper for me to proclaim him
now? I think the answer is definitely “No” if he is still a member of the
Communist Party and doing whatever his Party tells him to do, including
oppressing human rights. But, as we know, Mr. Duong has denounced the Party and
moved to the side of the Vietnamese people fighting for democracy and human
rights.”
Mr. Pham Que Duong, 71, is a
former Vietnamese Communist Party member and North Vietnamese army colonel and
former editor of the Military History Review of the Military History Institute.
In January 1999, he handed back his party membership card in protest against
what he called Hanoi leadership’s improper reaction to general Tran Do’s
call for a clean government. The police followed him, tried to isolate him, and
arrested him several times. He continued to criticize the government's
cover-up and totalitarian policies, to call for true democracy, and to
defend imprisoned or mistreated human rights activists. He was arrested on
December 28, 2002 in Saigon where he had gone to visit democracy and
human rights activists. He was detained until July 2004, given an unfair trial
and sentenced to 19 months in prison for “abusing democratic rights to
jeopardize the interests of the state" and “failing to comply with the
government's house arrest order". Since he had been held without
trial for a period exceeding his sentence, he was released and placed
under house arrest ever since.
Most Venerable Thich Chon
Thanh, Chairman of the Vietnamese Inter-Faith Council in the United States,
presented the award to Mr. Que's representative, radio journalist Dinh Quang Anh Thai.
The conversation between Mr.
Pham Que Duong and the journalist Dinh Quang Anh Thai recorded 5 hours earlier
was played back to the attention and applause of the audience. Through the
conversation, Mr. Pham Que Duong expressed his thanks to VHRN for supporting him
and presenting him this award as well as encouraging democracy and human rights
in Vietnam. He also emphasized on the need for political change alongside with
economic reform.
The event came to
an end following the speeches of some guests of honor. Most participants
remained until the last minute to enjoy the outstanding performance of the Hung
Ca band and share the rhythmic applause for the patriotic songs.
Vietnam
Human Rights Network
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