LETTER ASKING

FOR INVESTIGATION AT SENATE

                                                                                January 2, 02

Senator__________________

________________________

________________________ 

                                                Subject: Vietnam Human Rights Act. 

Dear Senator: 

A record of the Senate October 3, 01 meeting on Normal Trade Relations with Vietnam revealed that the Vietnam Human Rights Acts referred to the Senate by the House was held up at the Senate office with a secret hold. And a member of the Majority did this. It is reasonable to conclude that without secret approval of leaders of the Majority, the member could not be successful in blocking it from going to the floor. It is ironic that the Majority in this case is the Democratic party whose traditional ideal is to pursue as well as promote freedom and democracy, to defend oppressed people all over the world against dictators. 

As you know the bill was passed by the House with a 410-1 vote requiring the communist totalitarian regime to make substantial progress toward releasing prisoners of conscience it keeps in prisons as a condition of receiving nonhumanitarian assistance. Those prisoners are a) religious persons such as Catholic and Buddhist priests, Protestant ministers, and leaders of the Hoa Hao and Cao Dai religious sects, and b) those who have voiced for freedom and democracy. Some of them such as the Most Reverends Huyen Quang and Quang Do have been held or isolated for over twenty years. The Reverend aging Huyen Quang is being ill and is not allowed to go to Saigon to receive medical treatment. Besides, the bill also put as a condition for assistance the communist government 's relinquishment of involvement in trafficking persons.

We have a very serious concern about this matter. We, as well as all Americans we talked to, totally agree with Senator Bob Smith when he stated that this is a reasonable piece of legislation and the Senate has usually condemned such violations committed by other countries. But the communist regime of Vietnam is exempted.  

We would like to ask you and all democrat Senators to seriously look into this matter, by investigating and then publicly disclosing the one (s) who was /were involved in this attempt to block the bill in a secret hold- an undemocratic process in the Senate of the United States of America. And we also want to know what are his or their motives in doing such horrible things. 

We really appreciate your addressing our concerns, and look forward to being informed of what has happened.

Thank you very much, 

Sincerely yours, 

Name__________________________

Address _______________________

              _______________________