US urges Vietnam to free dissidents
HANOI - The US ambassador to Vietnam on Thursday called on the communist one-party state to free its dissidents from jail 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."
"Today, regrettably, there are an increasing number of individuals in prison or under detention in Vietnam whose only crime was the peaceful expression of their views," he wrote in a commentary sent to newspapers here.
He listed several other prominent dissidents currently in detention -- journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, Hanoi human rights lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan, land rights activist Bui Kim Thanh and lawyer Le Quoc Quan.
"For the sake of Vietnam's further international integration and development, its government must release these and other individuals now," wrote Marine.
He also urged Vietnam to revise or repeal laws to legalise "the peaceful expression of one's views -- even if they are critical of the state."
Marine also praised Vietnam for its economic growth and recent accession to the World Trade Organisation.
But he said excitement about Vietnam's economic potential was being dampened by the "weak rule of law in Vietnam," lagging regulatory reforms, frail investor protection and "the cancer of widespread corruption."
"Vietnam aspires to greater international recognition, increased global integration and the achievement of world-class standards in everything from business to education, and health to economic infrastructure," Marine wrote.
"It is in Vietnam's own developmental and national security interests to ensure that its citizens also have world-class rights and freedoms."
He urged Vietnam to allow its citizens "greater space to express ideas" and "ultimately, the right to select their leaders and representatives."
The US envoy warned that Vietnam will not achieve its full potential "without strengthening rule of law, tackling corruption, ensuring the basic rights and freedoms of its citizens and opening its political system."
Agence France Presse - April 5, 2007.
U.S. ambassador calls on Vietnam to release political prisoners
HANOI - The U.S. ambassador called on communist Vietnam Thursday to open up its single-party political system and release dissidents, including a Catholic priest sentenced to eight years in prison last week.
"Today, regrettably, there are an increasing number of individuals in prison or under detention in Vietnam whose only crime was the peaceful expression of their views," Ambassador Michael Marine wrote in an opinion piece the U.S. Embassy circulated to news organizations in Vietnam.
Marine singled out a handful of well-known political prisoners, including Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly, who has spent more than a decade in prison because of his political activities.
Ly was jailed again last week for eight years because he tried to establish an independent political organization uniting pro-democracy activists inside and outside of Vietnam.
"For the sake of Vietnam's further international integration and development, its government must release these and other individuals now," wrote Marine, who is nearing the end of his three-year term.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung, speaking at a regular press briefing Thursday, restated his nation's long-standing response to human rights critics: that Vietnam has no political prisoners, and only arrests lawbreakers.
"These issues should not be allowed to have a negative impact on relations between the two countries, which are developing well," Dung said.
In his article, the ambassador praised Vietnam for easing restrictions on religion, raising its international profile, reducing poverty and achieving rapid economic growth. But he said the nation must open its political system in order to reach its full potential.
"Vietnam must move to give its citizens greater space to express ideas, organize themselves to address issues of concern and participate in the pursuit of real accountability, including, ultimately, the right to select their leaders and representatives," Marine wrote.
Increasing political freedom would help Vietnam achieve its goal of eliminating the "the cancer of widespread corruption" that plagues the country, Marine said.
"The ability of citizens in any society ... to speak out without fear of recrimination is a crucial check on the abuse of power," he wrote.
Marine released his statement nine days after a U.S. congressman called on him to resign. Rep. Frank R. Wolf, dismayed by Ly's prosecution, said Marine had not spoken out forcefully enough against Vietnam's human rights abuses.
In fact, Marine has raised human rights issues consistently since he arrived in Vietnam three years ago. Several months ago, he referred to members of Vietnam's small dissident community as "true patriots."
The Associated Press - April 5, 2007.
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