June 24, 2007
For the first time since the government of South Vietnam fell, a Vietnamese president visited the White House.
Invited by President Bush during his trip to Saigon last November, President Nguyen Minh Triet touted the recent economic progress his country has made, and pushed for further cooperation between our two countries.
http://johnib.wordpress.com/2007/06/24/stop-the-abuses-in-vietnam/
Showing posts with label Quan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quan. Show all posts
Monday, June 25, 2007
AntiWar.com June 23: Visit by Vietnamese President Signals Normalization
June 23, 2007
Friday's unprecedented – albeit relatively low-profile – visit to the White House by a Vietnamese head of state marks the culmination of a lengthy normalization process between two countries that ended their war 32 years ago.
But while President Nguyen Minh Triet wants to talk mainly about how Washington can spur more US investment his fast-growing economy, his luncheon host, George W. Bush, is being pressed to steer the conversation more towards Vietnam's human rights record and an ongoing crackdown in which dozens of dissidents are believed to have been arrested around the country since the end of last year.
http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=11183
Friday's unprecedented – albeit relatively low-profile – visit to the White House by a Vietnamese head of state marks the culmination of a lengthy normalization process between two countries that ended their war 32 years ago.
But while President Nguyen Minh Triet wants to talk mainly about how Washington can spur more US investment his fast-growing economy, his luncheon host, George W. Bush, is being pressed to steer the conversation more towards Vietnam's human rights record and an ongoing crackdown in which dozens of dissidents are believed to have been arrested around the country since the end of last year.
http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=11183
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wall Street Journal June 22: Vietnam's "Dark Years"
June 22, 2007
In March, Le Quoc Quan returned to his native Vietnam after finishing a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington. He was promptly arrested and charged with planning to overthrow the government. The charges make sense in the communist country: His fellowship focused on how to peacefully spread democracy. Under pressure from the U.S. he was released on Saturday.
Today, President Bush will meet with the president of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Triet, at the White House. High on the agenda will be the Southeast Asian nation's record on human rights. America's military efforts to stop the communist takeover of South Vietnam ended in defeat more than 30 years ago. The result was what many Vietnamese call the "dark years," a period of oppression and economic stagnation that lasted until the mid-1980s. But now something interesting is happening. America is once again waging a campaign for freedom in Vietnam, only this time with "soft power" and bipartisan support.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118247662833644352.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
In March, Le Quoc Quan returned to his native Vietnam after finishing a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington. He was promptly arrested and charged with planning to overthrow the government. The charges make sense in the communist country: His fellowship focused on how to peacefully spread democracy. Under pressure from the U.S. he was released on Saturday.
Today, President Bush will meet with the president of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Triet, at the White House. High on the agenda will be the Southeast Asian nation's record on human rights. America's military efforts to stop the communist takeover of South Vietnam ended in defeat more than 30 years ago. The result was what many Vietnamese call the "dark years," a period of oppression and economic stagnation that lasted until the mid-1980s. But now something interesting is happening. America is once again waging a campaign for freedom in Vietnam, only this time with "soft power" and bipartisan support.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118247662833644352.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The Europe Channel June 21: Protests greet Vietnam leader in Washington
Washington, D.C., June 21, 2007
Hundreds of Vietnamese anti-communist protesters marched outside the White House Friday as Vietnam's president made a historic visit to US President George W Bush. About 1,000 demonstrators staged a noisy protest, shouting "Freedom for Vietnam" and holding up placards as they rallied at the White House fence.
http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=10365
Hundreds of Vietnamese anti-communist protesters marched outside the White House Friday as Vietnam's president made a historic visit to US President George W Bush. About 1,000 demonstrators staged a noisy protest, shouting "Freedom for Vietnam" and holding up placards as they rallied at the White House fence.
http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=10365
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wall Street Journal June 20: Business or Pressure?
June 20, 2007
The Vietnamese President's trip to the U.S. this week marks a historic step in postwar ties between the two countries, and also an opportunity. Business will certainly be on the agenda when Nguyen Minh Triet meets George W. Bush on Friday. But Hanoi's human-rights record will also be a central topic of discussion throughout the visit, whether Mr. Triet wants it to be or not.
Vietnam's economy, which Mr. Triet hopes to promote on this visit, is increasingly dependent on trade with the U.S. Vietnam exported $6.6 billion in goods to the U.S. in 2005, the most recent year for which comprehensive data are available. Its gross domestic product that year was $52 billion, while the U.S. market accounted for 20% of Vietnam's exports. That share has been growing steadily as Vietnam weans itself off its dependence on its Asian neighbors and the former Soviet Union.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118228605988540978.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
The Vietnamese President's trip to the U.S. this week marks a historic step in postwar ties between the two countries, and also an opportunity. Business will certainly be on the agenda when Nguyen Minh Triet meets George W. Bush on Friday. But Hanoi's human-rights record will also be a central topic of discussion throughout the visit, whether Mr. Triet wants it to be or not.
Vietnam's economy, which Mr. Triet hopes to promote on this visit, is increasingly dependent on trade with the U.S. Vietnam exported $6.6 billion in goods to the U.S. in 2005, the most recent year for which comprehensive data are available. Its gross domestic product that year was $52 billion, while the U.S. market accounted for 20% of Vietnam's exports. That share has been growing steadily as Vietnam weans itself off its dependence on its Asian neighbors and the former Soviet Union.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118228605988540978.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Wall Street Journal June 20: Vietnamese Rights and Wrongs...
Cho Lon, Vietnam, June 20, 2007
When President George W. Bush sits down with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet at the White House on Friday, it will be the first time that a Communist President of Vietnam has called on the President of the former enemy, the United States. The meeting may also mark a turning point in the history of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Vietnam's industrious people and cultural heritage make it a country rich in natural and human resources. For too long, Vietnam's authoritarian state trampled on the country's tremendous potential by crushing freedoms and basic human rights. After South Vietnam ceased to exist, a million people were sent to re-education camps, and an estimated one million more fled to foreign shores. Inside Vietnam, the demagogic North -- wielding terror and deception -- collectivized agriculture, confiscated property, prohibited private businesses, monopolized educational and cultural activities and applied various other forms of government- and party repression. The national economy stagnated.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118228680082041020.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
When President George W. Bush sits down with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet at the White House on Friday, it will be the first time that a Communist President of Vietnam has called on the President of the former enemy, the United States. The meeting may also mark a turning point in the history of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Vietnam's industrious people and cultural heritage make it a country rich in natural and human resources. For too long, Vietnam's authoritarian state trampled on the country's tremendous potential by crushing freedoms and basic human rights. After South Vietnam ceased to exist, a million people were sent to re-education camps, and an estimated one million more fled to foreign shores. Inside Vietnam, the demagogic North -- wielding terror and deception -- collectivized agriculture, confiscated property, prohibited private businesses, monopolized educational and cultural activities and applied various other forms of government- and party repression. The national economy stagnated.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118228680082041020.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Earthtimes June 18: Vietnam President Visits US to Soothe Tensions, Win Business
Hanoi, June 18, 2007
Hanoi - Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet departed Monday morning for a five-day trip to the United States that is expected to mend the two countries' diplomatic relationship, which was dented by US displeasure at a Vietnamese crackdown on political dissidents this spring. Triet will meet with US President George W Bush at the White House on Friday, where the two will sign a bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. His first stop will be New York, where a raft of prominent business, political, and education leaders have scheduled events with him, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Vietnamese leaders expect the visit, the first to the US by a Vietnamese head of state, to enhance the two countries' relations on both the diplomatic and business fronts.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/73698.html
Hanoi - Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet departed Monday morning for a five-day trip to the United States that is expected to mend the two countries' diplomatic relationship, which was dented by US displeasure at a Vietnamese crackdown on political dissidents this spring. Triet will meet with US President George W Bush at the White House on Friday, where the two will sign a bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. His first stop will be New York, where a raft of prominent business, political, and education leaders have scheduled events with him, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Vietnamese leaders expect the visit, the first to the US by a Vietnamese head of state, to enhance the two countries' relations on both the diplomatic and business fronts.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/73698.html
AFP June 17: Vietnamese Leader to Get an Earful of Rights Complaints in US
June 17, 2007
Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet is expected to get an earful of human rights complaints when he makes his maiden visit to the United States this week despite a last-minute release of a couple of imprisoned activists.
The concerns are to be conveyed to him by President George W. Bush's administration as well as leaders from the Democratic party-controlled Congress during his June 18-23 trip, officials said.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Vietnamese_leader_to_get_an_earful__06172007.html
Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet is expected to get an earful of human rights complaints when he makes his maiden visit to the United States this week despite a last-minute release of a couple of imprisoned activists.
The concerns are to be conveyed to him by President George W. Bush's administration as well as leaders from the Democratic party-controlled Congress during his June 18-23 trip, officials said.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Vietnamese_leader_to_get_an_earful__06172007.html
Monday, June 18, 2007
Voice of America June 17: Vietnam Releases Pro-Democracy Lawyer Ahead of President's Visit to US
Washington D.C., June 17, 2007
Vietnam has released a detained pro-democracy lawyer, just days before the Vietnamese president is to visit the United Sates.
Vietnamese officials released Le Quoc Quan Saturday. He was detained in March after returning from a five-month fellowship in the United States.
His detention has been part of a wider crackdown by Vietnamese authorities on democracy activists that has drawn criticism from U.S. authorities. President George Bush has said he plans to bring up the crackdown when he meets in Washington with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet on June 22.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-06-17-voa3.cfm
Vietnam has released a detained pro-democracy lawyer, just days before the Vietnamese president is to visit the United Sates.
Vietnamese officials released Le Quoc Quan Saturday. He was detained in March after returning from a five-month fellowship in the United States.
His detention has been part of a wider crackdown by Vietnamese authorities on democracy activists that has drawn criticism from U.S. authorities. President George Bush has said he plans to bring up the crackdown when he meets in Washington with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet on June 22.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-06-17-voa3.cfm
Sunday, June 17, 2007
ABC News June 16: Hanoi Releases a Third Detainee on U.S. List
Hanoi, June 16, 2007
Authorities on Saturday released a lawyer who was on a U.S. list of activists detained this year by Vietnam, two days before President Nguyen Minh Triet goes to the United States on a state visit.
The Vietnam News Agency reported that Le Quoc Quan, 36, who was detained in March after returning to Vietnam from a five-month fellowship in the United States, was released to his family in Hanoi.
Washington Times June 17:Vietnam frees third dissident
Hanoi, June 17, 2007
Vietnam released a political dissident yesterday, the third the communist nation has freed ahead of President Nguyen Minh Triet's historic trip to the United States, state press reported.
Le Quoc Quan, a 36-year-old lawyer, was released to his family in the capital, Hanoi, the Vietnam News Agency reported. He had been detained since March 8, shortly after he returned from a five-month fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy, a political institute in Washington.
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20070616-112113-3936r.htm
Vietnam released a political dissident yesterday, the third the communist nation has freed ahead of President Nguyen Minh Triet's historic trip to the United States, state press reported.
Le Quoc Quan, a 36-year-old lawyer, was released to his family in the capital, Hanoi, the Vietnam News Agency reported. He had been detained since March 8, shortly after he returned from a five-month fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy, a political institute in Washington.
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20070616-112113-3936r.htm
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
National Review Online June 5: Freedom's Prospects
Washington, D.C., June 5, 2007
Twenty-five years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan delivered one of the most significant speeches of his presidency. Standing before the British parliament in the historic Westminster Palace nearly a decade before the demise of the Soviet Union, he offered the vision of "a plan and a hope for the long-term — the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people."
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTg0ZmJmOWI2YWM0Mjc3ZTFlMDdjODQwYTY0YjAxM2Q=
Twenty-five years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan delivered one of the most significant speeches of his presidency. Standing before the British parliament in the historic Westminster Palace nearly a decade before the demise of the Soviet Union, he offered the vision of "a plan and a hope for the long-term — the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people."
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTg0ZmJmOWI2YWM0Mjc3ZTFlMDdjODQwYTY0YjAxM2Q=
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Que Me, May 30: Vietnam Committee Welcomes President George W. Bush’s Meeting with Vietnamese Democracy Activists at the White House
Paris, May 30, 2007
Quê Me : Action for Democracy in Vietnam and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights welcome U.S. President George W. Bush’s meeting with four Vietnamese-American democracy activists at the White House yesterday to discuss concerns on human rights and democracy in Vietnam. The meeting, which was also attended by Vice-President Dick Cheney, comes just before the Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet makes his first visit to Washington in late June 2007. One of the four activists, Cong Thanh Do, founder member of the unofficial People’s Democratic Party of Vietnam, was arrested during a trip to Vietnam last year and released thanks to pressure from the United States.
http://www.queme.net/eng/e-news_detail.php?numb=806
Quê Me : Action for Democracy in Vietnam and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights welcome U.S. President George W. Bush’s meeting with four Vietnamese-American democracy activists at the White House yesterday to discuss concerns on human rights and democracy in Vietnam. The meeting, which was also attended by Vice-President Dick Cheney, comes just before the Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet makes his first visit to Washington in late June 2007. One of the four activists, Cong Thanh Do, founder member of the unofficial People’s Democratic Party of Vietnam, was arrested during a trip to Vietnam last year and released thanks to pressure from the United States.
http://www.queme.net/eng/e-news_detail.php?numb=806
Monday, May 21, 2007
Senator Norm Coleman, May 21: Letter Urging Fellow Senators to Protest the Arrest of Le Quoc Quan (Plus a Letter to Vietnamese President Triet)
Washington, D.C., May 21, 2007
As a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), I urge you to join me in protesting the arrest of a former NED fellow, Le Quoc Quan, by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and to call for his immediate release from prison.
Le Quoc Quan, a lawyer from Hanoi, conducted independent research on civil society while in residence at the NED under the congressionally funded Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program. Previously, he worked as a local governance consultant to the World Bank, the Asian Development bank, UNDP, and the Swedish International Development Agency. Within a few days of returning from the fellowship at NED, Quan was arrested and charged under Article 79 of the Criminal Code, which proscribes “activities aimed at overthrowing the Government.” His family has not been permitted to visit him.
www.ned.org/docs/052107-Coleman.pdf
As a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), I urge you to join me in protesting the arrest of a former NED fellow, Le Quoc Quan, by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and to call for his immediate release from prison.
Le Quoc Quan, a lawyer from Hanoi, conducted independent research on civil society while in residence at the NED under the congressionally funded Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program. Previously, he worked as a local governance consultant to the World Bank, the Asian Development bank, UNDP, and the Swedish International Development Agency. Within a few days of returning from the fellowship at NED, Quan was arrested and charged under Article 79 of the Criminal Code, which proscribes “activities aimed at overthrowing the Government.” His family has not been permitted to visit him.
www.ned.org/docs/052107-Coleman.pdf
Friday, May 11, 2007
VOA News May 11: Vietnam Human Rights Day
Washington D.C., May 11, 2007
At ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol marking Vietnam Human Rights Day, members of Congress, labor leaders, representatives of the Vietnamese-American community, and activists are calling on the government of Vietnam to respect human rights.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed House Resolution 2-4-3, calling on the government of Vietnam to immediately release Father Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Van Dai, Le Thi Cong Nhan, Le Quoc Quan, and others arrested for legitimately expressing their right to free speech.
http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/2007-05-15-voa3.cfm
Radio Australia, May 11: US Congress Says Vietnam Should Face Sanctions Again
Australia, May 11, 2007
Lawmakers in the United States are pressing Washington to reimpose sanctions on Vietnam.Congress has criticised Vietnam's crackdown against dissidents, which have reportedly intensified after it entered the World Trade Organisation in January. The US government has normalised trading relations with its former battlefield enemy and removed it from a dreaded human rights blacklist. But Ed Royce, a US Republican Party lawmaker, told a Congressional meeting on Hanoi's current anti-dissident campaign he is "appalled by the lack of progress in human rights reforms" in Vietnam.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1920717.htm
Lawmakers in the United States are pressing Washington to reimpose sanctions on Vietnam.Congress has criticised Vietnam's crackdown against dissidents, which have reportedly intensified after it entered the World Trade Organisation in January. The US government has normalised trading relations with its former battlefield enemy and removed it from a dreaded human rights blacklist. But Ed Royce, a US Republican Party lawmaker, told a Congressional meeting on Hanoi's current anti-dissident campaign he is "appalled by the lack of progress in human rights reforms" in Vietnam.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1920717.htm
White House May 11: Statement Condemning Sentencing of Political Prisoners and Syria and Vietnam
Washington, D.C., May 11, 2007
STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
Political Prisoners in Syria and Vietnam
The United States condemns the recent sentencings of democracy activists Anwar al-Bunni and Kamal Labwani to long terms of imprisonment and is alarmed by reports that they have been subjected to inhumane prison conditions. These developments demonstrate that the Asad regime in Syria continues to suppress dissent and crack down on those who peacefully seek to defend their rights and bring democratic reform to their country. As the President stated last year, all political prisoners in Syria should be released immediately.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070511-11.html
STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
Political Prisoners in Syria and Vietnam
The United States condemns the recent sentencings of democracy activists Anwar al-Bunni and Kamal Labwani to long terms of imprisonment and is alarmed by reports that they have been subjected to inhumane prison conditions. These developments demonstrate that the Asad regime in Syria continues to suppress dissent and crack down on those who peacefully seek to defend their rights and bring democratic reform to their country. As the President stated last year, all political prisoners in Syria should be released immediately.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070511-11.html
Friday, May 4, 2007
Wall Street Journal May 4: Memo to Hanoi
May 4, 2007
Memo to Hanoi
By CHRIS SMITH , BART STUPAK and FRANK WOLF
A Catholic priest who has already spent over 13 years in prison is rearrested and sentenced to eight more years for serving as an advisor to a democracy movement and a new political party. A woman, whose husband had recently been released from jail after serving time for spreading pro-democracy material, is hit by a car -- believed to be driven and occupied by plainclothes police officers -- in an effort to intimidate her and prevent her from meeting with the U.S. Ambassador. A lawyer who travels to the U.S. to serve as a Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy is arrested within a week of his return home, and charged with engaging in activities aimed at overthrowing the government.
While these stories sound like they were lifted from the files of the KGB, they are, in reality, all events that have recently taken place in Vietnam.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/nj04_smith/memotohanoi.html
Memo to Hanoi
By CHRIS SMITH , BART STUPAK and FRANK WOLF
A Catholic priest who has already spent over 13 years in prison is rearrested and sentenced to eight more years for serving as an advisor to a democracy movement and a new political party. A woman, whose husband had recently been released from jail after serving time for spreading pro-democracy material, is hit by a car -- believed to be driven and occupied by plainclothes police officers -- in an effort to intimidate her and prevent her from meeting with the U.S. Ambassador. A lawyer who travels to the U.S. to serve as a Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy is arrested within a week of his return home, and charged with engaging in activities aimed at overthrowing the government.
While these stories sound like they were lifted from the files of the KGB, they are, in reality, all events that have recently taken place in Vietnam.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/nj04_smith/memotohanoi.html
US House Resolution May 1: Calling on Vietnam to Immediately and Unconditionally Release Political Prisioners and Prisoners of Conscience
Washington D.C., May 1, 2007
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey: Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Vietnam has long been known as a major violator of human rights. The U.S. House of Representatives went on record in the 109th Congress condemning and deploring the violations of human rights in Vietnam and strongly urging the Vietnamese Government to consider the implications of its human rights abuses for the broader relationship between the United States and Vietnam.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/nj04_smith/fatherlyfloor.html
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey: Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Vietnam has long been known as a major violator of human rights. The U.S. House of Representatives went on record in the 109th Congress condemning and deploring the violations of human rights in Vietnam and strongly urging the Vietnamese Government to consider the implications of its human rights abuses for the broader relationship between the United States and Vietnam.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/nj04_smith/fatherlyfloor.html
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Amnesty International April 24: Vietnam: Silenced Critics Must Be Released
April 24, 2007
Vietnamese lawyers, trade unionists, religious leaders and Internet dissidents have been detained or imprisoned in increasing numbers in recent months. Amnesty International is deeply concerned over an ongoing crackdown by the Vietnamese government against people who have done nothing but peacefully express their opinions.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGASA410042007
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