US Human Rights Bill detrimental to Vietnam-US relations
With 323 votes in favour and 45 votes against, the US House of Representatives on Monday passed the so-called Vietnam Human Rights Act 2004 (coded HR 1587) which was put forward by Representative Christopher Smith. The Bill will be then submitted to the Senate for consideration before becoming law. Sources in Washington say the possibility of approving the Bill at the Senate is not guaranteed despite lobbying efforts made by some small groups of overseas Vietnamese in the US.
First of all, the Bill brazenly intervenes in Vietnam’s internal affairs and hurts the sentiments and self-respect of its people. The move by the House of Representatives, which took place at a time when relations between Vietnam and the US have developed strongly in many areas, ran counter to the aspirations of the two countries’ people.
By repeating wrong comments and groundless information and paying no heed to the reality in Vietnam, the Bill proposes new sanctions to enforce what they call democracy and human rights in Vietnam’. By approving this Bill, its sponsors tried all means to bar the expansion of co-operative ties between the two countries.
This was not the first time Mr Smith and his colleagues have done wrong things against Vietnam. In fact, whenever a resolution or Bill is approved, relations between Vietnam and the US have generally developed positively. Two-way trade value between the two countries increased sharply to a record figure of US$5.8 billion last year from just US$1 billion several years ago. American businesses continue to come and explore the market and expand investment in Vietnam. Overseas Vietnamese residing in the US continue to return home to visit their relatives and seek business opportunities, although they still face opposition from some extremists. The image of a renewed Vietnam stands firm in the hearts of overseas Vietnamese and Americans of conscience.
Although Bill HR1587 was approved, it faced increasing opposition in the House itself and from American public. At the previous Congressional meeting, only one member voted against a similar bill. This time, up to 45 congressmen from both the Democrat and Republican parties voted against the Bill.
Many congressmen, especially the parliamentarian group for relations between the US and Vietnam, voiced their strong opposition to the Bill and fully supported Vietnam. Prior to discussions on July 14, this group sent letters to US Congressmen, calling on them to vote against the Bill.
Representative Rob Simmons, a co-chairman of the group, said that it is time the US made a clear message so that the Vietnamese people understand that the US strictly wants to build positive relations with Vietnam for mutual benefit.
The first US Ambassador to Vietnam, Pete Peterson, wrote in his letter to the House on July 18: "HR1587, because of its punitive approach to seek faster progress by Vietnam in this matter will, in my opinion, hinder rather than accelerate the future positive development of Vietnam’s human rights policies. Furthermore, the passage of this bill is likely to severely damage the blooming political, military, economic and cultural relationship between the US and Vietnam."
For her part, President of the US-Vietnam Trade Council Virginia Foote wrote in another letter to the House: "Based on our 15 years of experience in Vietnam, we do not believe that the proposed legislation will advance the human rights dialogue with Vietnam."
As the spokesperson for Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said: "The Government and people of Vietnam strongly reject this Bill, which distorts and fabricates the situation in Vietnam". The spokesperson stressed that the move ran counter to the growing trend of improving and developing the friendship and co-operative relations between Vietnam and the US and it was completely contrary to the interests of the two peoples.
Voice Of Vietnam Radio - July 21, 2004.
Vietnam lashes out at US human rights bill
HANOI : Vietnam lashed out at a decision by the US House of Representatives to restrict American aid to the communist nation because of human rights concerns, warning it could damage bilateral relations.
The ruling Communist Party's Nhan Dan newspaper said the Vietnam Human Rights Act, which passed the House on Monday in a 323-45 vote, ran counter to efforts to fully normalize relations between the two former foes.
"The presentation of this so-called 'Vietnam Human Rights Act' at a time when the Vietnam-US ties (are) progressing well and expanding is untimely and detrimental to bilateral relations," it said in an online editorial.
The legislation bars the US government from increasing non-humanitarian assistance to Vietnam over this fiscal year's level of about 40 million dollars unless Hanoi sets free political and religious prisoners and improves its overall "extremely poor" rights record.
International human rights groups have long charged the communist regime with smothering all dissent and jailing democracy or human rights activists.
Earlier this month two elderly dissidents became the latest in a series of writers and intellectuals to be jailed for criticising the one-party state.
The bill also authorises the president to block any non-humanitarian loans or assistance to Vietnam from the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, one of its major donors.
Extremely sensitive to criticism of its human rights record, Vietnam accused the United States of hypocrisy, saying it had no right to interfere given its own behaviour during the Vietnam War.
"Their war of aggression in Vietnam was the height of their violations of human rights and national self-determination," the party mouthpiece said.
Under the legislation, which still has to pass the Senate, individuals and non-governmental organizations that promote democracy and human rights are to receive four million dollars in the 2004 and 2005 fiscal years.
More than 10 million dollars are also being offered over the same period to overcome Vietnam's jamming of Radio Free Asia, a surrogate Congress-financed radio station that beams US programming to the region.
The House approved a similar bill in 2001, but it died in the Senate after 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry and others blocked it from being brought to vote.
Republican Representative Chris Smith from New Jersey, the driving force behind the attempts to hold Hanoi to account over its rights record, said this latest bill was aimed at forcing Vietnam out of "the dark ages of repression, brutality and abuse".
"We cannot stand idly by while the human rights situation in Vietnam deteriorates and goes from horrific to even worse," he added.
In February, the US State Department in its annual human rights report accused the Vietnamese government of committing "serious abuses".
This followed its December report on religious freedom in which it grouped Vietnam in a worst offenders category of totalitarian and authoritarian states that view religious groups as "enemies of the state".
Vietnam and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1995, two decades after the US-backed Saigon regime fell to communist forces.
Agence France Presse - July 20, 2004.
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