FREE VIETNAM ALLIANCE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Duc Ngo (408) 309-1404
January 22, 2001
Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) Sends Letter to Prime Minister Van Khai Congressman Voices Opposition to Recent Oppressive Actions by Vietnamese Government
Washington, DC: Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), today sent a letter to Prime Minister Van Khai, on behalf of the Houston Chapter of the Free Vietnam Alliance, to voice his opposition to recent oppressive actions by the Vietnamese government. Specifically, Congressman DeLay cited the case of the Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly of the Nguyet Bieu Parish in Hue. Congressman DeLay stated that this and other "recent acts of intimidation and repression at a time when Vietnam is seeking integration with the rest of the world will not be favorably looked upon."
Congressman DeLay's Letter Follows:
His Excellency Phan Van Khai
Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
1 Bach Thao, Hanoi
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Dear Prime Minister Khai:
I am writing to express my concern over recent actions taken by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam against some of Vietnam's leading voices for religious freedom. Recently the Free Vietnam Alliance has brought to my attention the case of the Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly of the Nguyet Bieu Parish in Hue. I have received numerous reports that the government of Vietnam has been harassing Father Nguyen by cutting off his means of communication and are threatening him with arrest. Furthermore, members of the government's internal security force have detained and beaten various Hoa Hao Buddhist leaders in An Giang province without any provocation whatsoever. Mssrs. Le Quang Liem and Ha Hai are among those having been either detained or beaten solely for the purpose of intimidating them into silence.
I am aware of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam being a signatory to the United Nations charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Recent acts of intimidation and repression at a time when Vietnam is seeking integration with the rest of the world will not be favorably looked upon.
I hereby request the government of Vietnam to cease from further acts aimed at muting the religious voices of conscience. As the United States and Vietnam move closer in the fields of Trade and Commerce, my colleagues and I in Congress will be monitoring this situation very closely and we hope to see improvements in the way citizens are allowed to express themselves freely inside Vietnam. Finally, we believe that freedom of religion and the ability to freely exercise one's faith is a universal right that actually strengthens the fabric of society.
Sincerely,
Tom DeLay
Member of Congress
cc: The Honorable Douglas B. Peterson, United States Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam