New York Sun Editorial April 20: Free Le Quoc Quan

New York, April 20, 2007

When Senator McCain signs a letter along with Vin Weber, who is a top policy adviser to Mr. McCain's rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney, it is worth paying attention to, especially when the letter is also signed by President Clinton's secretary of state, Madeleine Albright. The letter, addressed to the "president" of Vietnam, calls for the release by Vietnamese authorities of a 35-year-old lawyer, Le Quoc Quan, who was arrested March 8, shortly after he returned to his country from a five-month fellowship in Washington at the National Endowment for Democracy.

http://www.nysun.com/article/52890?access=285634

RFA Interview with Carl Gershman and Transcript April 18 (in Vietnamese)

April 18, 2007

http://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/in_depth/2007/04/18/AlbrightMcCainWeberCallForReleaseLeQuocQuan_YLan/

New American Media April 11: US Vietnam Thaw Hazardous to Dissidents

April 11, 2007

Editor’s Note: Human rights activists are decrying what they describe as the worst crackdown on human rights in Vietnam in 20 years. The situation has been aggravated by a twist in U.S. policy, says NAM editor Andrew Lam. Lam is the author of "Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora."

A picture paints a thousand words, but an image taken from the state-controlled television in Vietnam and circulated widely on the Internet can convey the struggle of an entire people. Flanked by two angry-looking policemen, a man sits bleary-eyed, his mouth covered by the hand of an out-of-uniform policeman behind him.

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=e4468651bad0af6f2eddd02e5fbddb96

National Endowment for Democracy, April 17: Albright, McCain and Weber Call for Release of Le Quoc Quan

Washington, D.C., April 17, 2007

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Senator John McCain and National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Chairman Vin Weber are the authors of a letter sent April 12 to the President of Vietnam protesting the March 8 arrest of Le Quoc Quan, a Vietnamese lawyer who was most recently a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at NED.

http://www.ned.org/press/releases.html#apr1707

National Endowment for Democracy April 12: Letter to President of Vietnam

Washington, D.C., April 12, 2007

Your Excellency:

We are the Chairs of, respectively, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), three organizations based in Washington, D.C., whose directors include prominent businessmen, current and former members of Congress, independent scholars, and other distinguished Americans.

We are shocked and outraged to learn of the March 8 arrest of lawyer Le Quoc Quan very shortly after his return to Vietnam following completion of a five-month fellowship in residence at NED. The fellowship is part of an exchange program funded by the U.S. Congress and the Department of State that has brought to the Endowment outstanding scholars and practitioners from over 50 countries since its inception six years ago.

http://www.ned.org/press/quanLetter-41207.pdf

Vietnam News Agency April 9: Terror Plot behind Sanchez's Visit

Hanoi, March 9, 2007

The first delegation from the newly-elected US Congress has just wrapped up its visit to Viet Nam, which State officials said included constructive discussions on trade, bilateral co-operation and the search for missing soldiers.

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01CAS090407

Vietnam News Agency April 6: US Congresswoman Sanchez, Hostage to Backward Looking Minority

Hanoi, April 6, 2007

Madame Ton Nu Thi Ninh, Vice-chair of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee gave the Viet Nam News Agency an interview on US Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s remarks with the press in Ha Noi on April 6.

Question: What do you have to say about Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s harsh criticisms about democracy and human rights in Viet Nam?

http://www.vnanet.vn/Home/EN/tabid/119/itemid/190940/Default.aspx

Wall Street Journal/Vietnamese Community April 6: "We Earnestly Join Our Voices"

April 6, 2006

To: All Vietnamese compatriots inland and overseas and the world community of advocates for democracy in Vietnam:

In joining so many selfless individuals who are fighting for democracy in Vietnam, we, the representatives of hundreds of democracy activists inside Vietnam, hereby signed this document to raise our unanimous voice on behalf of the Vietnamese people that: The state of our nation has been, is, and continues to be placed in danger by the totalitarian, ...

http://users1.wsj.com/lmda/do/checkLogin?mg=evo-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB117520628913853726.html%3Fmod%3Dopinion%26ojcontent%3Dotep

Human Rights Watch April 6: Vietnam: End Attacks on Year Old Democracy Movement

Washington, D.C., April 6, 2007

On the eve of Bloc 8406’s first anniversary, members of the group, which calls for greater political freedom in Vietnam, still face harassment and abuse, including imprisonment, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Vietnamese government should end its persecution of citizens trying to exercise their rights to free expression and assembly, Human Rights Watch said.

http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2007/04/06/vietna15664.htm

AP April 6: Vietnamese Police Block Dissident Visit

April 6, 2007

Vietnamese police blocked dissidents' wives from attending a tea at the U.S. ambassador's house, creating a scene that he feared "was at risk of spiraling out of control," the diplomat said Friday.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/04/06/ap3589918.html

Washington Times April 6: Scolding Vietnam

Washington, D.C., April 6, 2007

The U.S. ambassador to Vietnam yesterday denounced its repression of dissidents and called on the communist government to free political prisoners and embrace democracy. Ambassador Michael Marine, in an opinion article sent to newspapers in Hanoi, named several dissidents whose "only crime was the peaceful expression of their views."

http://washingtontimes.com/world/20070405-105916-8133r.htm

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez April 5: Police Physically Restrain Wives of Dissidents from Meeting Sanchez

Washington, D.C. April 5, 2007

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D- Garden Grove) joined an armed services congressional delegation in Vietnam after three previous visa denials by the Vietnamese government. The delegation held meetings regarding the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command's mission to account for missing American soldiers.

http://www.lorettasanchez.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=216

Embassy of the United States April 5: US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael W. Marine

April 5, 2007

This is an extraordinary time for Vietnam. When the United States and Vietnam reestablished diplomatic ties in 1995, Vietnam was a nation still recovering from decades of war, and whose last several generations knew nothing but international isolation and central planning. Today, Vietnam’s sustained economic growth rate is second only to China’s in East Asia, and global investors are increasingly looking to Vietnam as the next Asian Tiger.

http://hanoi.usembassy.gov/pr040507.html

Yahoo! News April 5: US Urges Vietnam to Free Dissidents

Hanoi, April 5, 2007

The US ambassador to Vietnam on Thursday called on the communist one-party state to free its dissidents and open up its political system, in an editorial the embassy sent to local media.

Ambassador Michael Marine said last week's eight-year jail sentence for activist priest Father Nguyen Van Ly was "baffling considering his crime was peacefully speaking out in favor of political change."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070405/pl_afp/vietnamusrights_070405152150

Wall Street Journal Online April 2: Justice, Hanoi-Style

April 2, 2007

The sentences handed down to five dissidents in Vietnam on Friday highlight how little is changing there politically, despite a wave of economic opening. Show trials are still the norm for opponents of the Communist Party government, and speaking out against the status quo can -- and does -- land you in jail.

http://users2.wsj.com/lmda/do/checkLogin?mg=evo-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB117546362983856098.html