Washington D.C. (Oct 17, 1996) - U.S. Congressman Tom Campbell has written a letter to President of Vietnam, Mr. Le Duc Anh, to inquire about the current human rights condition in Vietnam.
In his letter, Mr. Campbell points out that as a "signatory to the United Nations charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has pledged itself to adhere to the UN charter and to respect basic human rights."
Mr. Campbell stated that Vietnam "in serious violation of international agreements and of the wishes of [the] people, imprisons some individual and places others under house arrest solely for their peaceful expression -- the most recent instance being the convictions of Mr. Ha Si Phu, Mr. Le Hong Ha, and Mr. Nguyen Kien Giang on August 22, 1996. The cases of these three gentlemen along with those of Prof. Doan Viet Hoat, Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, Mr. Nguyen Ho, Father Tran Dinh Thu, and the Most Venerables Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do are closely watched by the world."
Furthermore, Mr. Campbell expressed that these prisoners, especially Mr. Ha Si Phu, the symbol the intellect,can make a great contribution to Vietnam as free citizens rather thatn as political prisoners.
Ending his letter, Congressman Campbell said Hanoi "government's respect for its existing agreements, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in particular, would be favorably received by the members of Congress as well as the American public."
Mr. Campbell represents the 15th Congressional district in Northern California that includes Santa Clara, Campbell, Sunnyvale, part of San Jose, Cupertino, Santa Cruz). He is a member of the House's Committee on International Relations, International Economic Policy and Trade Subcommittee, and the Committee on Banking and Financial Services.
He is also a professor in Economics at Stanford University.