(Speech delivered on July 29, 1998 by Rep. Loretta Sanchez, co-founder of the Congressional Dialogue on Vietnam, on the floor of the House of Representatives to announce the "Adopt-A-Voice of Conscience in Vietnam" campaign.)

Mr. Speaker: "A new struggle has started. It is the war against poverty, backwardness and arbitrariness.

And in this new struggle, there can be only one winner, the nation and people of Vietnam; and only one loser, the forces of dogmatism, arbitrariness and backwardness."

So wrote Professor Doan Viet Hoat in his essay, entitled "The True Nature of Contemporary Vietnam."

After the article was circulated, he was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in jail for attempting to "overthrow the government."

Professor Hoat's case is but one of many similar instances of government persecution in Vietnam.

And for these reasons, the founding members of the Congressional Dialogue on Vietnam have established a campaign to bring attention to human rights violations in Vietnam.

We need to generate pressure for the release of all prisoners of conscience from prison or house arrest.

We need to focus public attention on Vietnam’s repression against freedom of expression and to make the release of these prisoners of conscience a prominent issue in U.S. policy towards Communist Vietnam.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to participate in this campaign.