WHEREAS, the current Vietnam Hanoi Communist Regime continues to be a one party state ruled by an un-elected and unaccountable government that continuously and arbitrarily infringes upon the human rights and religious freedom of its people; and
WHEREAS, the vast majority of Vietnamese Americans who fled Vietnam do not recognize or condone the Vietnam Communist regime; and
WHEREAS, the people of the former Republic of Vietnam are not defeated but remain unbowed and in opposition to communism and stand united in their commitment to freedom; and
WHEREAS, the State of California is home to the largest Vietnamese-American population in the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, the City of Westminster is home to a higher percentage of Vietnamese-American residents than any other California or United States city; and
WHEREAS, the people of the former Republic of Vietnam were valiant in their resistance to the aggression of communist North Vietnam, and refugees from the Republic of Vietnam who emigrated to the United States of America and settled in the City of Westminster, California, should be honored and remembered for their sacrifices such that the only flag depicting the Nation of Vietnam shall be the flag of the former Republic of Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, the flag of the Free Vietnamese people is the flag of the former Republic of Vietnam, which consists of three horizontal stripes of red (gules) upon a field of gold (or); and
WHEREAS, the flag of the one party regime currently holding power in occupied Vietnam may be the flag of a government, but it is not the flag of a Nation; and
WHEREAS, the culture and history of the Vietnamese people should be celebrated and honored with the flag of the Vietnamese Nation, not the flag of the tyrants who betrayed and rejected that glorious culture and history; and
WHEREAS, this flag remains a poignant reminder of the threat of communism, and the imperative of remaining vigilant in opposition to tyranny of all forms, and to actively support human rights.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Westminster on this day formally recognizes the flag of the former Republic of Vietnam as the official flag of the Vietnamese People overseas, and that this flag may be displayed on any city owned property at any city-controlled or sponsored Vietnamese-American event subject to the permit requirements of the City. The City of Westminster encourages state legislators to pass a law recognizing the flag of the former Republic of Vietnam as the official flag of the Vietnamese-Americans overseas, and encourage the local school districts to adopt a similar Resolution recognizing the flag of the former Republic of Vietnam as the official flag to be displayed in the schools.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 19th day of February 2003. AYES: COUNCIL MEMBER: RICE, PARIS, FRY, MARSH, QUACH NOES: COUNCIL MEMBER: NONE ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBER: NONE
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MARGIE L. RICE, MAYOR
ATTEST:
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MARIAN CONTRERAS, CITY CLERK
-STATE OF CALIFORNIA
-COUNTY OF ORANGE
I, MARIAN CONTRERAS, hereby certify that I am the duly appointed City Clerk of the City of Westminster, and that the foregoing resolution was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Westminster held on the 19th day of February 2003.
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Marian Contreras, City Clerk