LÁ THƯ CHUNG GỬI HÀNH PHÁP VÀ LẬP PHÁP HOA KỲ

YÊU CẦU CÓ BIỆN PHÁP THÍCH ỨNG VỀ VIỆC

ĐÀN ÁP TÔN GIÁO VÀ NHÂN QUYỀN TẠI VIỆT NAM

 

Kính Thưa:        Quư Vị Lănh Đạo Tinh Thần

Quư Vị Lănh Đạo Các Hội Đoàn và Cộng Đồng

Quư Vị Thân Hào Nhân Sĩ

 

Chúng tôi, các chính đảng, hội đoàn và cộng đồng tại Hoa Kỳ, xin được chuyển thư này đến cùng quư vị hầu nhận được sự tham gia của quư vị và quư hội đoàn, đồng kư vào thư gửi cho các vị lănh đạo hành pháp và lập pháp Hoa Kỳ, đễ yêu cầu họ duyệt xét lại chính sách ngoại giao giữa Hoa Kỳ và Việt Nam, đặc biệt là vấn đề tự do tôn giáo và nhân quyền.

 

Chúng tôi xin đính kèm thư này để quư vị cùng tham khảo và bổ túc ư kiến, hầu giúp bức thư chung được trọn vẹn ư nghĩa.

 

Thư này sẽ được gửi cho các vị sau đây:

 

  1. Tổng Thống Hoa Kỳ George W. Bush.

  2. Các Vị Thượng Nghị Sĩ Và Dân Biểu Quốc Hội.

  3. Ngoại Trưởng Condoleezza Rice.

 

Trong thư, chúng ta sẽ yêu cầu lănh đạo của Hoa Kỳ, có những biện pháp thích ứng như sau:

 

  1. Đặt lời yêu cầu nhà nước Việt Nam trả tự do lập tức và vô điều kiện cho các nhà dân chủ như LM Nguyễn Văn Lư, LS Nguyễn Văn Đài, LS Lê Thị Công Nhân, LS Lê Quốc Quân, Nhà báo Nguyễn Vũ B́nh, và các nhà đấu tranh khác đang bị tù đày, mà chúng tôi đang thâu thập trong một danh sách dài.

 

  1. Thách đố và bác bỏ đơn xin gia nhập vào Hội Đồng Bảo An Liên Hiệp Quốc của nước Cộng Ḥa Xă Hội Chủ Nghĩa Việt Nam, trừ khi nhà nước Việt Nam cam kết tôn trọng nhân quyền và các quyền tự do căn bản của tất cả công dân Việt Nam, cũng như những người ngoại quốc sống trên lănh thổ Việt Nam.

 

  1. Liệt kê Việt Nam vào trong danh sách các Nước Cần Phải Quan Tâm (Coutries of Particular Concern), trừ khi nhà nước Việt Nam cam kết chấm dứt các hành động bắt bớ và quấy nhiễu người dân khi họ hành xử quyền tự do căn bản của con người, như đă được nêu trong bản Tuyên Ngôn Quốc Tế Nhân Quyền của Liên Hiệp Quốc, mà chính nhà cầm quyền Việt Nam đă kư.

 

Sau khi thâu thập chữ kư đợt đầu, chúng tôi dự định sẽ gửi thư này trong cuối tháng 4, 2007.  Chúng tôi hy vọng quư vị cùng tham gia trong cuộc vận động cho tự do dân chủ này bằng cách kư tên trong trang cuối của bức thư này.

 

Nếu cần biết thêm chi tiết, xin quư vị liên lạc cùng chúng tôi qua email sau đây:    

  • Hưng Nguyễn - Tập Thễ Chiến Sĩ VNCH Hải Ngoại / Tây Nam                   cancuhoaluc@gmail.com

  • Thiềng Ngô    -   Vietnamese-American Community of Southern California   cdvnnamcali@yahoo.com

  • Dũng Trần      - Việt Nam Canh Tân Cách Mạng Đảng                              dtranvt@gmail.com

  • B́nh Vơ          - Vietnamese-American Public Affairs Committee                vpac@vpac-usa.org

 

Nam California ngày 07 tháng 4, 2007

 

Kính thư
 

 

 

 

To:       The President of the United States

            Members of Congress

            Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

           

 

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, respectfully request the Administration and Congress to review the current diplomatic policy toward Vietnam, and take appropriate actions to uphold the principles of our nation.

 

As you may be aware, the government of Vietnam has arrested and sentenced many high profile dissidents, as well as scores of lesser known activists.

 

On March 6, 2007, our Deputy Chief of Mission in Hanoi, Jonathan Aloisi, met with Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Huong, Deputy Minister of Public Security, According to an article from  the “Cong An Nhan Dan” Daily published on Wednesday March 14, 2007, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Huong considered the American perspective on freedom of speech and assembly was not significantly different from the Vietnamese government perspective. Furthermore, he said that “the laws of the United States allowed authorized agencies to detain anyone who is suspected of terrorism. However, in Vietnam, the government cannot do so (detaining terrorist suspects) without proper evidence.” He went on to say that “we understand the special situations in the U.S. which (justify) the U.S. to set such guidelines to protect its national security. We do not require such guidelines due to the situation in Vietnam. In summary, when discussing (about freedom of speech and assembly) both sides need to understand each other’s situation in order to gain the proper perspective.” In short, the Deputy Minister of Public Security in Vietnam maintained that the U.S. does not observe freedom of speech and assembly and arrests people without proper evidence when it comes to terrorist suspects. A copy of the news article is attached for your review.

 

On March 30, 2007, the communist authorities sentenced Father Thadeous Nguyen Van Ly to 8 years of prison during a one-day trial. Along with Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly, four other defendants were sentenced from 18 months of probation to 6 years in prisons. From the Vietnamese government’s perspective, the trial proceeded according to plan, like many other trials in Vietnam. But according to basic judicial standards, this trial was unacceptable in that:

  • The defendants did not have their own defense lawyers

  • Two of the defendant’s mouth were muffled by plain clothes security police officer when they attempted to speak to the court

  • Family members of the defendants, as well as normal citizens, were not allowed in court

  • Plain clothed police officers sat in court to play the role of observers

 

The trial of Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly was only the latest incident of religious oppression carried out systematically by the government of Vietnam.  Since Vietnam was removed from the list of Countries of Particular Concern, there were many incidents of brutal oppressions.  Some of these religious persecutions were captured by international press, while others were reported in the Vietnamese press, with some pictures sneaked out of Vietnam by the victims or families.  Below are some of the reported incidents during the last 5 months:

 

  • On January 9, 2007, the security police and local officials demolished the inside of Mennonite Church, headed by Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang.  They arrested seventeen people, including women.  The government offices also discourage Pastor Quang from participating in the December 2006 registration briefing sponsored by the government, under the framework on religion with other Ho Chi Minh City based Protestant groups.  

 

  • Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, of the Mennonite Church, was prevented to take his wife to the hospital for the delivery of the couple first child.  Once his wife gave birth to his child, the police immediately forced her to go home, while they forced Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh to report to the police station for question day-after-day, knowing quite well that his wife and child were at home by themselves.  Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh was interrogated and beaten numerous times by the police.

 

  • The Vietnamese government refused the registration applications from thousands of protestant groups, especially the ethic minority groups in the northern region and the Northwest Highlands.  Furthermore, the security police and local officials routinely conduct raids, harass, jail, and kill the ethnic minority followers of the Christian faith.

 

  • The government of Vietnam classify the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) as a banned religious group.  And their senior leaders, including Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang, Thich Quang Do, and many others, are currently under “pagoda arrest”.

 

  • Vietnam government refused to let Patriarch Thich Quang Do travel to Norway to receive the Rafto Human Rights award.  In February 2007, the Rafto Foundation Board sent a representative, Ms. Therese Jebsen, to Vietnam to meet with him.  However, when she arrived at the Zen Monastery, she was detained questioned over 2 hours at the police station, along with her interpreter Ms. Kieu Tran, a Norwegian-Vietnamese human right activist.

 

  • Since November 2006, there were over 10 incidents where the security police has beaten, arrested, harassed, threatened many members of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church in Saigon and various southern provinces of Vietnam.  The some of the victim’s names are: Nguyen Van Thi, Bui Van Luoc, five daughters of Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, … 

 

  • Mr. Le Quang Liem and many senior leaders of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church are currently under house arrest.

 

  • On January 31, 2007, the local government of Phat Diem province savagely destroyed a status of the Virgin Marie and Jesus Christ by decapitating the two figures and smashing or cutting their limbs.  This incident created a huge uproar from the Catholics inside Vietnam, as well as abroad.

 

Although the current Constitution of Vietnam recognizes the freedom of religion, the government still maintained its unconstitutional approach of systematically oppress religious practices not fallen under its control, and persecute these religious leaders and their followers.

 

This sham trial of Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly is just the tip of the iceberg. The government of Vietnam will continue on with its plan to crush all peaceful voices from the democracy movement if the international community doesn’t take concrete steps. We urge you to support the growing democracy movement in Vietnam by:

 

  1. Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Father Nguyen Van Ly, Attorney Le Thi Cong Nhan, Attorney Nguyen Van Dai, Attorney Le Quoc Quan, Journalist  Nguyen Vu Binh, and other political and religious prisoners whose names are listed in the attached documents, and

 

  1. Challenging the qualification of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to be a member of the United Nations Security Council, unless the government of Vietnam begins immediately to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for its citizens and foreigners within its own borders, and

 

  1. Re-classifying Vietnam as a Country of Particular Concern, due to the severe violations of religious freedoms, unless Hanoi government immediately stops all practices of oppression and intimidation of people who practice their fundamental rights, as guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed by Vietnam.

 

The United States of America has long been the standard bearer for democracy and freedom. To have the Vietnamese communist government equate our justice system to their barbaric travesty is a strong condemnation of our values.

 

Furthermore, during your recent trip to Vietnam in November 2006, you showed your support for the rights to worship by attending a mass in Saigon.  Right after this visit, the Vietnamese government continued their brutal oppressions on all faiths inside Vietnam.  The Department of State has many records on these oppressions.  An example of such oppression is the trial of Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly.  The United States of America needs to show the world and the Vietnamese people that our strong support for religious freedom does not limit to a visit to the church by our President.  We stand behind our conviction to support religious freedom.

 

Your prompt review of policy toward Vietnam and concrete actions in response to the crackdown in Vietnam will help restore the faith that all of us have in our government.

 

Sincerely Yours,

 

Organization Name **:

 

Signature of Representative **:

Tittle **:

Representative Name (Print) **:

Date:

Address **:

Email **:

 

Phone:

Comment:

 

 

**    Required information for the record

All information submitted will be used for the purpose of this campaign only

 

Please write your organization name and address legiblely for the records.  For future communication, please also include an email address so we can send you the final version of the letter and its attachments.