FVA Secretary General's Trip in Australia
As part of his campaign across Australia for freedom and democracy in Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duc, Secretary General of the Free Vietnam Alliance, led a delegation to meet with senator Vicky Bourne at the Australian Parliament on May 12, 1997. Among the delegates were Dang Quoc Sung, FVA representative in Australia; and Nguyen Van Thien, Chairman of the Vietnamese Australian Political Action Committee.
At the meeting, Mr. Duc presented evidence of rampant labor abuses in Vietnam, particularly the brutality against Vietnamese female workers by foreign supervisors. Accounts of workers being beaten on the production floor, having their mouths taped over, and receiving other physical punishment were documented in both state-owned factories and joint-ventures with foreign investors.
The overall human rights condition in Vietnam was detailed in the recent
attacks by the Vietnamese Communist government against people who peacefully
express their differences from the government's policies. Among the worst
victims of the on-going persecution are scientists Nguyen Thanh Giang and
Ha Si Phu, and writers Bui Minh Quoc and Tieu Dao Bao Cu.
Information on the Vietnamese government's violation of human rights and worker's rights was given to Senator Bourne, who agreed to present it to the Australian government and Parliament. Senator Bourne was a member of the investigation team sent by Australia to Vietnam two years ago to look into human rights violations by the Vietnamese government.
On May 16, 1997, Mr. Duc attended the celebration commencing of "Australians for a Free Vietnam" in Sydney along with 300 other guests representing various levels of the Australian government and the political parties.
During his 20-day trip across Australia, Mr. Duc addressed six Vietnamese communities and met with leaders of many Vietnamese organizations. His itinerary included:
- The Vietnamese Community in Victoria on May 3,
- The Federation of Vietnamese Students in Victoria on May4.
- Interview with the Ethnic Radio Program on May 9,
- The Vietnamese Community in Perth on May 10.
- The Vietnamese Community in Canberra on May 12
- The Vietnamese Community in Sydney on May 17
- The Vietnamese Community in Queensland on May 18
- The Vietnamese Community in Adelaide and an interview with the SBS program
on May 25
At each meeting, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duc presented the current condition of the Vietnamese economy, politics, and society. He emphasized the crucial need for Vietnamese democratic forces inside and outside Vietnam to join their strength for the common cause of human rights and dignity for the Vietnamese people.