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Now Is the Time to Ratchet Up Pressure on Vietnam on Human Rights (Rep. Ed Royce)

by Calif. GOP Rep. Ed Royce - 07/20/07 9:38 AM ET

I believe we need to focus on Vietnam’s suppression of religious freedom and the democratic movement, the tight control over media, and US commitment to refugees.

I recently met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Triet to press him on human rights. Now is the time to ratchet up the pressure on Vietnam to honor human rights. In the past several months, Vietnamese officials have renewed their harassment of religious leaders, political dissidents, and student activists. Political dissidents are routinely silenced, and religious freedom is systematically suppressed. Buddhist monks are continually detained and interrogated for belonging to the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

The “Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2007” will send a clear message to the Communist Party of Vietnam that current human rights situation is unacceptable. By prohibiting non-humanitarian US assistance to Vietnam unless significant progress is made towards respecting human rights, this bill has the potential to accomplish much.