WASHINGTON D.C. – On May 14 2008, members of the Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation, Mr. Sereivuth Prak and Mr. Lenny Thach headed to Washington DC to attend the U.S. Congressional Caucus on the Hearing on “Human Rights Conditions in Vietnam and Suggestions for the U.S. — Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue.” The first Panel heard Commissioner Leonard A. Leo testified before the Congressional Caucus regarding restrictions on the freedom of religion by the Vietnam government. He recommended that Vietnam be reinstated on the list of “country of particular concern,” or CPC in its 2008 Annual Report. The Hearing was chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, and was attended by Reps. Tom Davis (R-VA), Ed Royce (R-CA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), and Chris Smith (R-NJ). The second Panel consisted of Mr. Do Hoang Diem, Chairman, Mr. Viet Tan, and Dr. Binh Nguyen Co-Chair of the Non-Violent Movement for Democracy in Vietnam and Mr. Tammy Tran, President of the Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking (VietACT). Commissioner Leonard A. Leo spoke on the following items: – Vietnamese Human Rights Dialogue – Prisoner Releases – The Revision of Laws to Reflect International Human Rights Standard – Protecting Independent Religious Practice – The Training of Government Officials – Asylum and Refugee Issue According to Lenny Thach, both Panels commented substantially on Khmer Krom issues in Vietnam. One commented on “the disappearance of a Khmer Buddhist monk who refused to defrocked novice monks participating in February 2007 demonstrations against religious freedom restrictions”. Another stated, “On April 9th, the Vietnamese police force ruthlessly dispersed the demonstration of the Khmer Krom people in the An Giang province who were demanding the return of their confiscated land”. It was recommended that Vietnam be reinstated as a ‘Country of Particular Concern” (CPC). By reinstating Vietnam, the world will see that the Vietnamese government strictly control and limits news media and continues to persistently abuse and discriminate people based on their religion and beliefs. Participants of the conference reaffirmed the need of US Congress to help urge Vietnam to respect all peoples living within their borders and provide their basic fundamental freedoms and rights.
