California, September 20, 1998: The meeting was not the first of its kind among the Vietnamese American community. In fact, meetings to promote the democracy and human rights cause for Vietnam, and to rally international support have been going on relentlessly by the politically active Vietnamese community across the world. For Northern California residents this time, the meeting was unprecedented for it was held at the State Capitol Building, signifying the community's voice with a new weight and direction.

The meeting titled Campaigning for Vietnam's Democracy, Human Rights, Press Freedoms and the Roadmap to Democratize Vietnam" was organized by the Committee for Vietnam's Freedom and Human Rights in Sacramento, California.

Before 200 distinguished guests who packed the conference hall, a representative of California Governor Pete Wilson, Duong Viet Quoc welcomed the event and expressed support for the noble cause endeared by the Vietnamese community.

Participants watched a slide show highlighting the Free Vietnam Alliance's activities since its inception in 1990. In a summary presentation of the FVA's "Roadmap to a Democratic and Developed Vietnam," Dr. Nguyen Trong Viet emphasized the key features of the proposal: practical, humanistic, and nationalistic.

The first speaker of the conference was the well-known political prisoner and San Jose resident Jimmi Quynh, who was recently released by the Hanoi government after five years imprisonment. Appropriately, the next speaker was the man who poured out his heart to crusade for the release of Mr. Tran -- Assemblyman Jim Morrissey.

After receiving a warm welcome and a colorful lei, Mr. Tran thanked Assemblyman Morrissey, his fellow Vietnamese, and people of concern around the world for putting pressure on the Hanoi regime for his release and that of other political prisoners. Mr. Tran urged that the pressure should remain to bring freedom to more prisoners and eventually the entire people of Vietnam.

Assemblyman Morrissey expressed his strong support for the Vietnamese fight for freedom. With his limited albeit overwhelming experience with the dictatorial rule in Vietnam during his brief visit to the country in 1995 to raise awareness for Mr. Tran's case, the Assemblyman's compassion for the plight of the Vietnamese was vividly displayed in his moving speech.

The third guest speaker, renown columnist Son Dien Nguyen Viet Khanh shared his view on the pivotal role of the press in the collective effort to bring liberty to Vietnam.

The ensuing lively discussion engaged the four-hour conference until the end. Noteworthy was the young faces of Vietnamese who actively participated in the conference including the two masters of ceremony--Attorney Lai Van Tuan and Dr. Nguyen Mong Huyen and the Governor's representative, Duong Viet Quoc, an indication that a new generation was emerging in the community.