Diverse opinions about the visit of Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai

 

 

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Gates, Vietnamese prime minister talk piracy
Published: June 21, 2005, 5:10 AM PDT
By Reuters

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai pledged to combat software piracy during talks with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on Monday as he became the most senior official of the communist state to visit the United States since the Vietnam War ended 30 years ago.

Khai signed two agreements committing Vietnam to work with Microsoft in curbing theft of intellectual-property rights and removing licensing barriers for used computers donated to schools, said Microsoft spokeswoman Tami Begasse.

The Business Software Alliance, a Washington-based lobby group, estimates that 92 percent of the software used in Vietnam in 2004 was pirated, the highest rate in the world.

Gates said users in Vietnam had downloaded a Vietnamese language package to work on Windows XP and Office 2003 more than 18,000 times since its introduction in March--something he said made Microsoft rededicate its commitment to Vietnam.

Khai's stop in Seattle was the first in a four-city tour that includes a meeting on Tuesday with President Bush in Washington.

In Washington, the White House said the United States was eager to advance Vietnam's bid to join the World Trade Organization. Hanoi's goal is to join the WTO at the group's next ministerial meeting in December in Hong Kong.

"The United States strongly supports Vietnam's integration into the world economic community and its bid to join the World Trade Organization," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

Since Washington and Hanoi restored diplomatic links in 1995, two-way trade has rocketed from just $451 million to $6.4 billion in 2004. The United States became Vietnam's most important commercial partner after the signing of a bilateral trade pact in 2001.

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in Seattle against Khai's visit Sunday to protest against Vietnam's human rights record. Vietnamese exiles, religious activists and ethnic minority opponents of Hanoi also plan rallies in Washington.

Microsoft spokeswoman Begasse said there were no protests at the software maker's campus.

Khai will also travel to Boston and New York on a trip that coincides with the 10th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties frozen after the end of "The American War," as it is known to Vietnamese.

Vietnam is also expected to sign a contract to buy four Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" planes, worth about $500 million, during Khai's visit.

Despite growing commercial ties, differences remain between the two nations, in particular over U.S. criticism of Vietnam's record on human rights and religious freedom, and Washington's refusal to compensate thousands of Vietnamese victims of wartime chemical weapons such as Agent Orange.


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Boston politicians may avoid Viet leader
By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff  |  June 21, 2005

The prime minister of Vietnam, Phan Van Khai, is coming to Boston this week, the first time the country's top politician has visited the United States since the end of the Vietnam War.

But presented with an opportunity to enhance economic ties, participate in a world event, and mend local relations after the City Council offended the Vietnamese government in 2003 by endorsing the flag of South Vietnam, many local politicians are avoiding it.

Several elected officials in Boston appear to be heeding pressure from some Vietnamese-American groups, which are asking them to boycott or speak against the Vietnamese government during the rare visit.

''We believe this is a good opportunity for you to express publicly your support for your constituents by using radio, TV, or newspapers, asking for freedom and human rights in Viet Nam," wrote Kim Van Dang, president of the Vietnamese Community of Massachusetts, in a letter to Boston City Council president Michael F. Flaherty.

Flaherty said he was invited to a Liberty Mutual luncheon next week at which Khai is the keynote speaker. He said he won't attend, citing a scheduling conflict.

Liberty Mutual, one of Boston's largest employers, has been in Vietnam since 2003. The country's insurance market has grown 29 percent annually, according to a spokeswoman.

''I know and like [Liberty Mutual president, chairman, and CEO] Ted Kelly and am supportive of Liberty Mutual's effort to expand . . . into Vietnam since investment has shown . . . to be successful in breaking down barriers and improving human rights. But my first concern is to my constituents, and my constituents are Boston's Vietnamese community," Flaherty said.

Governor Mitt Romney's spokesman Felix Browne said the governor, who is heavily rumored to be a future presidential candidate, has no visits ''currently scheduled" with the Vietnamese prime minister and has not received any letters from the Vietnamese-American community.

The same goes for Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has been invited to the luncheon but was unsure Friday if he would attend.

Khai plans to have private visits with the presidents of Harvard University and MIT, as well as an unnamed Cambridge biotechnology firm. He is also scheduled for a White House visit with President Bush and is expected to ask for support in helping Vietnam join the World Trade Organization.

This is not the first time local officials have responded to requests to protest the Vietnamese government. The Boston City Council in 2003 recognized the old South Vietnamese flag as the symbol of Boston's Vietnamese-American community, even though the United States recognized the Vietnamese government and restored diplomatic relations in 1995.

Officials from the Vietnamese Embassy protested the move, coming to Boston with a message that recognizing the old flag was ''disrespectful of the entire nation." The officials were never given an audience; Flaherty killed a resolution to give them time to speak before the council.

While opinions within Boston's Vietnamese community differ over Khai's visit, the most vocal and politically connected Vietnamese-Americans said they are against the current regime. Several demonstrations are planned during Khai's visit to Boston.

US Census figures count 22,000 Vietnamese residents in Greater Boston, concentrated in the Savin Hill-Fields Corner area, where Flaherty and other candidates' posters line local streets.

''I understand the feeling of some people who left Vietnam because of the war," said Chien Ngoc Bach, press attache for the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington. ''But the war is long over, and our country and our people have to move ahead."

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Vietnam Human Rights Record  Under Fire in US Congress
By Dan Robinson
Capitol H
21 June 2005
 
As Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai prepared to meet with President Bush, members of Congress were cautioning that the government in Hanoi has a long way to go before they are satisfied with its record on human rights and religious freedom.

While they recognize the progress Vietnam and the United States have made in expanding trade relations, and continuing to strengthen diplomatic ties 10 years after the end of the U.S. trade embargo, U.S. lawmakers are not satisfied with Hanoi's human rights record.

In a hearing timed to coincide with Mr. Khai's meeting with President Bush, a House subcommittee heard from human rights groups and others about what one witness called Hanoi's continuing ruthless crackdown on religious freedom.

Congressman Christopher Smith is a New Jersey Republican and one of the most outspoken members of Congress on religious freedom and human rights:

"When is enough enough? Vietnam needs to come out of the dark ages of repression, brutality and abuse, and embrace freedom, the rule of law, and respect for fundamental human rights. Vietnam needs to act like the strategic partner of the United States we would like it to be. Treating its citizens, even those who disagree with government policies, with respect and dignity," Mr. Smith says.

Congressman Smith describes as incongruous growing U.S. trade and and military relations with Vietnam at the same time as, what he calls, the appalling lack of respect for the basic concern of its citizens that the Vietnamese government has consistently demonstrated.

Time will tell, says Congressman Smith, if the Vietnamese government respects the May 5th agreement with the United States under which Hanoi pledged to take steps to improve its record on religious freedom to avoid possible sanctions.

Under that agreement, Vietnam agreed to release prisoners of religious conscience, reopen churches that were closed, and stop the practice of coercing renunciations of faith.

However, according to Nina Shea, vice chairperson of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, things have not gotten substantially better:

"The key words are 'might' and 'future.' The actions taken only signal promises of improvements, and not actual measurable progress," she says. "Promises do not mean progress, and these actions do not address what landed Vietnam on the CPC (Country of Particular Concern) list in the first place. Religious prisoners remain behind bars, churches remain closed, and restrictions and harassment on all of Vietnam's diverse religious communities continue."

Among witnesses at the hearing was Vo Van Ai, President of the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights who also speaks for the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. He says the Hanoi government has made promises about religious freedom it likely won't keep:

"The State Department believes in Vietnam's goodwill, but Vietnam is a master in the art of deception, and Phan Van Khai is a symbol of Hanoi's broken promises," Mr. Vo Van Ai says.

Critics say the Hanoi government is stepping up repression of Buddhists not part of a government-approved church, continues to detain the country's two most prominent Buddhist dissidents, and represses ethnic Montagnards and other minorities.

Also highlighted in Monday's hearing on the eve of Prime Minister Khai's meeting with President Bush, was the lack of press and media freedom in Vietnam.

Republican Congressman Ed Royce says this must be considered along with the overall human rights situation in Vietnam:

"Newspapers, television, radio stations, remain under strict government control and as you know, this has expanded into control of the internet," Mr. Royce says. "Young Vietnamese all over the world can go to chat rooms and discuss ideas, but not in Vietnam. In Vietnam, they will be turned over to the government, the government monitors this, and they will serve long, long, long sentences in prison."

The Vietnamese prime minister's visit to the United States comes three decades after the end of the Vietnam War, in which 58,000 Americans, and more than one million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians, died before the former South Vietnam fell to the Communist North in 1975.

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2005/6/21 13:17:19 (11 reads)
 

Religious Freedom Commission Sees Continued Abuses in Vietnam
Diverse religious communities face harassment, Vice Chair Nina Shea says
20 June 2005

Despite increased economic ties with the United States, human rights and religious rights in Vietnam are under continued threat, according to Nina Shea, vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. "The government of Vietnam's human rights record remains poor and freedom of speech, assembly, association and religion continue to be significantly restricted," Shea told the House International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations at a hearing June 20.

"Religious prisoners remain behind bars, churches remain closed, and restrictions and harassment on all of Vietnam's diverse religious communities continue," she said.

Although Vietnam is "in some respects a less repressive society now than it was ten or fifteen years ago," Shea said, increased economic openness has not led directly to increased political openness or greater respect for human rights.

"Our deepening economic and commercial relationship with Vietnam may encourage economic reform and transparency and it may draw Vietnam further into a rules-based international trading system," Shea told the committee. "But the evidence suggests that it has not encouraged greater political freedom for Vietnamese citizens."

Under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, The United States regards Vietnam as "a country of particular concern" (CPC) for ongoing, egregious, and systematic abuses of religious freedom. As a result of this designation, Shea noted, the Vietnamese leadership has made some effort to loosen some of its repressive policies on religious groups.

Shea praised the efforts of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom John Hanford, but she urged the United States not to lift the CPC designation until Vietnam produced solid evidence that it is lifting restraints on religious freedom.

Shea said the commission recommends that U.S. diplomatic and assistance programs for Vietnam be expanded and re-prioritized to directly promote freedom of religion and related human rights.

"We believe that new public diplomacy, economic development, and technical assistance programs should be targeted to address ongoing human rights problems," she said.

Shea urged President Bush, who is scheduled to meet with Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai at the White House June 21, to explain why human rights are an important U.S. foreign-policy concern and how progress on human rights is needed before there is full cooperation on other bilateral interests.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor in countries around the world religious freedoms as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The commission gives independent policy recommendations to the U.S. president, the secretary of state and the Congress.

Following is the text of Shea's testimony:

(begin text)

Testimony by Nina Shea, Vice-Chair
Before the House International Relations Committee
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations

Human Rights in Vietnam
Monday, June 20, 2005

A Strategic Opportunity: Human Rights & the Prime Minister's Visit

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee let me begin by thanking you for holding this important and timely hearing. It is an honor for me to be here.

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai arrives in Washington today to hold a historic meeting with President Bush. It has been thirty years since the end of the Vietnam War and ten years since our two countries have normalized relations.

Relations between our two countries have strengthened and improved in many important areas. Trade is up to almost $7 billion a year and Vietnam seems poised to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO). Military ties are growing as our naval ships now regularly visit Vietnamese ports The U.S. is also popular with Vietnamese youth.

These are encouraging signs and ones that should be capitalized on. A secure and prosperous Southeast Asia is in the interest of both our countries.

But significant issues remain, particularly in the area of human rights, including religious freedom. More than any other issue, differences over human rights and religious freedom have the potential to inhibit the forward momentum in our bilateral relationship. Relations can never fully develop until the Government of Vietnam protects and promotes the fundamental human rights of all its citizens.

These concerns should not be swept aside during the Prime Minister's visit. It is crucial that the U.S. Government speaks with one strong voice that economic and security interests should not precede human rights.

In his meeting with the Prime Minister, President Bush has the chance to explain why human rights are an important U.S. foreign policy concern and how progress on human rights is needed before there is full cooperation on other bilateral interests.

Human Rights and Freedom in Vietnam: The Current State of Affairs

Mr. Chairman, the Government of Vietnam's human rights record remains poor and freedoms of speech, assembly, association and religion continue to be significantly restricted. Though Vietnam is in some respects a less repressive society now than it was ten or fifteen years ago, we should not conclude that Vietnam's economic openness has lead directly to political openness or greater respect for human rights.

Our deepening economic and commercial relationship with Vietnam may encourage economic reform and transparency and it may draw Vietnam further into a rules-based international trading system, but the evidence suggests that it has not encouraged greater political freedom for Vietnamese citizens.

The human rights situation in Vietnam has not improved since passage of the Bilateral Trade Act of 2001. One has seen the brutal and ongoing suppression of ethnic Montagnards who marched for land rights and religious freedom in April of 2004, the jailing of Pham Song Hong and others for posting articles critical of the government on the Internet, the silencing and jailing of journalists for exposing corruption, and the mass arrests of Buddhist monks from the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), despite promises by Prime Minister Khai that pressure on the group would cease. UBCV monk Thich Thien Minh, released in February after sixteen years in prison, did not see many improvements in human rights and religious freedom. He said, "I have exchanged my small prison for a bigger one."

The lessons of recent history are quite clear-economic freedom and political freedom cannot be separated. People want to experience the benefits of liberty undiluted and governments who try to check this desire will find they are trying to hold back the rolling tide of the human spirit.

I am sure that the other panelists today will discuss in more detail other human rights concerns. So, with the remainder of my remarks, I would like to focus on religious freedom in Vietnam and particularly on U.S.-Vietnam relations since Vietnam was designated, by the Secretary of State, as a country of particular concern.

Vietnam As Country of Particular Concern (CPC): Evidence that International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) Works

The Commission has followed events in Vietnam closely. Commissioners and staff have traveled to Vietnam and we have established contact with religious leaders, scholars, and human rights activists inside and outside of Vietnam.

Over the past fifteen years, the government of Vietnam has slowly carved out a noticeable "zone of toleration" for government approved religious practice. However, at the same time, it has actively repressed, and targeted as subversive, religious activity it cannot control or that which refuses government oversight. Targeted in particular are leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), ethnic minority Christians in the Central Highlands and northwest provinces, "house-church" Protestants, and followers of religious minority groups such as the Hoa Hao and Cao Dai. This repression has not abated in the last year.

Since 2001, the Commission recommended that Vietnam be designated as a country of particular concern (CPC) for ongoing, egregious, and systematic abuses of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The State Department followed our recommendation and designated Vietnam as a CPC in September of last year.

Since the CPC designation, the State Department and the Vietnamese government have engaged on the issue of religious freedom. The government of Vietnam has made some gestures, including the release of several prominent dissidents, a directive to stop forcing Protestants to recant their faith, and another to streamline the application process for religious groups registering with the government.

The State Department cited these actions as progress when it announced last month that it had reached an "agreement" with Vietnam to avoid more stringent actions, including economic sanctions, for countries designated as a CPC. Though the agreement is secret, from public statements we know that basically Vietnam promised to implement its new laws and the U.S. promised to consider removing the CPC designation.

We should not downplay the significance of this action and Ambassador-At-Large for International Religious Freedom John Hanford should be commended for the time and effort he has invested in Vietnam. The agreement reached was the first such diplomatic agreement signed with a CPC country since the passage of IRFA in 1998. We should see this as evidence that both vigorous diplomatic action and the use of the CPC designation produced results that might lead to future improvements in religious freedom in Vietnam.

But, Mr. Chairman, the key words here are "might" and "future." The actions taken only signal promises of improvement and not actual measurable progress. Promises do not mean progress. And, these actions do not address the human rights violations that landed Vietnam on the CPC list in the first place.

Religious prisoners remain behind bars, churches remain closed, and restrictions and harassment on all of Vietnam's diverse religious communities continue.

Don't Lift the CPC Designation Without Concrete Results

There are a number of important religious freedom concerns that are not addressed by Vietnam's recent action, including:

* Leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) continue to be harassed and detained, and there is no legal framework for the UBCV, the Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, and others to register with the government and operate independently with leaders of their own choosing;

-- There are an estimated 100 religious prisoners in jail or under some form of house arrest for religious activity, according to human rights groups, although actual numbers are difficult to obtain because of the lack of judicial transparency;

-- And hundreds of churches, home worship centers, and meeting places remain closed, and forced or coerced renunciations of faith continue in some parts of the country.

-- The government continues to impose limits on the number of candidates allowed to study for Roman Catholic priesthood, controls the appointment and promotion of Catholic clergy, and has seized church properties.

Troubling reports continue to arrive of new arrests and pressure on religious and ethnic minorities in Vietnam.

-- Despite promises to ban forced renunciations of faith, evidence from the Central Highlands suggesting that the Prime Minister's "Instructions on Protestantism" is being used by security forces to compel ethnic minority Protestants to join the government-approved Protestant organization, give up their distinctive faith tradition, or face criminal penalties.

-- On February 25 at 7 a.m., two police officers from Ia To commune, Ia Grai District, Gai Lai Province summoned two men and a woman for interrogation. They were asked whether they followed Dega Christianity or the "Christianity of [Prime Minister] Phan Van Khai". They were asked who in their village followed "the religion that is political" and where they worshiped, and ordered to cease following Dega Christianity. They did not agree to stop. The police hit one of the men with their fists and beat the second man until he lost consciousness. The three were released from detention the same day. They were warned that they would be arrested if they were caught practicing their religion again.

-- From March 15-18, police surrounded many villages in Ia Hru, Ia Ko, and Ia Pet communes in Gai Lai provinces. Officials called Montagnard representatives from villages in these communes for full day meetings at the district headquarters in Cu Se, where they were lectured by district authorities as well as "police from Hanoi" (most likely officials from the Ministry of Public Security) and warned not to follow "Dega Christianity". In some cases they were forced to sign pledges agreeing to abandon Christianity and politics. Officials also conducted meetings in the villages during this time in which they instructed villagers not to hold religious gatherings.

-- The events above happened in the Central Highlands, but forced renunciations also continue among the Hmong in Vietnam's northwest provinces. Police and security forces continue to summon Hmong Christian villagers to "re-education" where they are told to give up their faith traditions, are harassed, beaten and sometimes forced to drink wine.

-- Mr. Chairman, the Commission has 21 of these police summons, most dated less than one month ago, in Pu Nhi Commune, Dien Bein Dong District, Dien Bien Province. I have a copy of the summons for the Committee.

-- Also, Mr. Chairman, security forces have arrested church leaders, destroyed church property, and continue to harass followers of the Mennonite Church of Vietnam.

Mr. Chairman, I have a letter here from Truong Tri Hien, the Acting Secretary of the Mennonite Church of Vietnam. The letter documents, in great detail the arrests and harassment faced by his religious community over the past eighteen months. It is a sad and telling testimonial to the continued pressure that religious groups face in Vietnam. He wants the Commission to give the letter to the Committee and distribute it to those concerned about religious freedom in Vietnam.

Pastor Hien is taking a great risk compiling and sending this letter and he knows it. We are told that he is in hiding in a third country. He is awaiting an interview with the Department of Homeland Security so he can come to the United States and meet with you, Mr. Chairman, in person.

It is obvious to me that the situation in Vietnam can be summed up as "repression as usual." Though promises of future improvement are encouraging, we should not reward Vietnam too quickly by lifting the CPC designation.

Policy Recommendations:

We know that human rights remain a problem for U.S.-Vietnam relations. But the question that always arises is what can we do about it?

The Commission's 2005 Annual Report includes policy recommendations that we believe can improve U.S. human rights diplomacy for Vietnam. In general, the Commission recommends that U.S. diplomatic and assistance programs be expanded and re-prioritized to directly promote freedom of religion and related human rights in Vietnam. Non-humanitarian assistance programs have been declining in Vietnam, except for new HIV/AID funding and assistance programs to help Vietnam enter the WTO. We believe that new public diplomacy, economic development, and technical assistance programs should be targeted to address ongoing human rights problems.

We have made specific recommendations for Congressional and Administration action in the areas of public diplomacy, economic development, education, good governance, and rule of law programs for Vietnam.

I will append them to my remarks for the record.

Conclusion:

If the Government of Vietnam were to take further steps to honor its international commitments and improve its respect for human rights, U.S.-Vietnam relations will improve for the long term and serve as the basis for a strong and healthy relationship built on mutual interests, the rule of law, and the "non-negotiable demand of human dignity."

Thank you Mr. Chairman and I welcome your questions.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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Created: 6/21/2005
Updated: 6/21/2005 8:47:42 AM 

It's A New Era For The One-time Enemies, U.S. And Vietnam 

WASHINGTON (AP) _ In a meeting that marks a decade of normalized relations, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai is asking President Bush to help his nation join the World Trade Organization while Bush is raising concerns about human rights abuses.

The 71-year-old Vietnamese leader is meeting Bush in the Oval Office on Tuesday during a weeklong visit to the United States, where he is meeting with business leaders on both coasts. Khai is ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange later this week _ evidence of Vietnam's economic gains over the years.

``The United States strongly supports Vietnam's integration into the world economic community and its bid to join the World Trade Organization,'' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Monday. ``They will also use this as an opportunity to work to address religious freedom and human rights concerns.''

After his discussions with Bush, Khai planned to meet with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Military ties between the two countries have included periodic docking of U.S. warships in Vietnam and plans for U.S. military training of Vietnamese officers. Intelligence sharing and cooperation on counterterrorism activities also are part of the mix.

Also Tuesday, officials from the two countries will sign an agreement at the State Department to cooperate on adoptions.

In the 10 years since diplomatic ties were restored after the Vietnam War, the United States has become Vietnam's top trading partner. Last year, two-way trade was worth $6.4 billion.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a former Navy pilot imprisoned for nearly six years in Vietnam after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War, said Tuesday that Vietnam had made sufficient economic progress to warrant inclusion in the WTO. But, he added, the United States expects progress in other areas, such as human rights.

``We have every right to expect the Vietnamese to make significant improvements in human rights and religious freedom,'' McCain said on NBC's ``Today'' show. ``They have taken some steps. ...Our message throughout the world is that we expect progress toward democratic freedom, human rights, elections and all the trappings of democracy.''

After he arrived in the United States on Sunday, the Vietnamese leader stopped at Boeing Co.'s plant south of Seattle to oversee the purchase of four 787 airliners by Vietnam Airlines.

On Monday, Khai met with Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Wash. The two announced that they had signed two memoranda of understanding, to train and develop more Vietnamese information technology companies and to offer computer and software training to more than 50,000 teachers.

While Khai will want to talk about business, Bush is being pressured by human rights groups and some members of Congress to link any trade concessions with improvements in Vietnam's human rights record. ``There are some steps that have been taken by Vietnam, but there are concerns that remain,'' McClellan said.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch says it has documented cases of abuses by the communist government, including the arrests of dissidents for promoting democracy or human rights. In Seattle, Khai was greeted by demonstrators who shouted ``Down with communists!'' and called for an end to political and religious persecution.

During Sunday's demonstration, Nhien Le, a former officer in the South Vietnamese Air Force, said his fellow demonstrators hoped their presence would let Khai know that Vietnamese Americans want him to address human-rights abuses in Vietnam.

Bush and Khai also are expected to deepen joint efforts to achieve the fullest possible accounting for Americans who remain missing from the Vietnam War. Veterans groups and families of servicemen still missing in Indochina criticized the Republican-controlled Congress back in 1995 when President Clinton took steps to restoring relations between the once bitter enemies.

Khai's visit this week has not prompted any of that opposition, in part because Vietnam is cooperating in the search for U.S. service members.

Created: 6/21/2005
Updated: 6/21/2005 8:47:42 AM 


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Tuesday, June 21, 2005
 
Our Vietnam Visitor: Give Pizza A Chance
Foreign Relations: Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's visit to the U.S. this week comes as Hanoi is listed as one of the world's worst violators of religious freedom and human rights.

In a puff piece for the Los Angeles Times in April, David Lamb, who was the Times' Hanoi bureau chief from 1997 to 2001 and covered the Vietnam War for UPI, said "the Vietnam of today is not much different from the country U.S. policy-makers wanted to create in the 1960s." Well, not exactly.

Last September, the State Department listed Vietnam as a "country of particular concern (CPC) for religious freedom" under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, joining such stellar company as North Korea, Iran, Burma and Sudan.

CPC status requires the application of one or more responses from a list of 15, ranging from a verbal slap on the wrist to a total ban on trade and investment. Obviously, the State Department, despite the designation, has chosen carrot over stick, having arranged for Khai to meet with President Bush at the White House Tuesday.

Lamb talked of a "flourishing economy" even as accompanying charts placed it just above Mongolia in GDP per capita. Also noteworthy was the absence of any data prior to the early 1990s, during the dark days of summary executions, re-education camps and the boat people.

During those days, before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall, Hanoi was the recipient of a $1 billion annual subsidy from Moscow as it basked in the fruits of Marxism-Leninism. Its reaching out to the U.S. may be more a sign of desperation than a sign of progress â?" a search for a new sugar daddy.

L.A. Times columnist Robert Scheer praised Lamb's glowing tribute a few days later, saying "the message from Hanoi's still avowedly communist leaders is that their country guarantees a favorable business environment for foreign investors." Not long after the Soviet collapse, a Pizza Hut opened in Moscow. Should we soon expect one in Hanoi?

Khai comes here seeking U.S. backing for Vietnam's membership in the World Trade Organization. He hopes the prospect of increased trade will trump behavior that's in violation of the Jackson/Vanik Amendment. That law prohibits any trade at all with countries that do not allow free emigration.

And Vietnam does not. As reported by former Vietnam POW Michael Benge (1968-73) in The Washington Times, families of Montagnard Christians who fled Vietnam after religious protests in 2001 and resettled in the U.S. are not being allowed to immigrate for purposes of family unification.

Other behavior that earned Vietnam CPC status includes requiring churches to register with and providing a list of the congregation to the state. No one else is allowed to attend services, which must be conducted only in Vietnamese. Sermons must be submitted for government approval in advance.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Vietnamese government continues branding all unauthorized religious activities as potentially subversive and a threat to the state. In northern and central Vietnam, local officials harass and beat Christians, confiscating their rice fields when they refuse to renounce their religion.

Vietnam is a country without the basic freedoms we hold dear â?" speech, press and religion. It was built on the corpses of millions. But some are asking us to forget freedom and human rights. After all, business is business.

In his second inaugural speech, President Bush pledged to the people of the world: "All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors." Apparently we are about to.

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COMMENTARY
The U.S. Can Still Be a Big Winner in Vietnam
By Jordan Ryan
Jordan Ryan is the resident representative of the United Nations Development Program in Hanoi. The opinions expressed here are his.

June 21, 2005

Vietnam still touches a raw nerve in the United States. Even as President Bush prepares to receive Prime Minister Phan Van Khai today â?" 30 years after the last U.S. troops left, and 10 years after the two nations reestablished diplomatic relations â?" some Americans continue to see the Vietnamese as the enemy. There are veterans who viscerally distrust those they once engaged in combat. Some in the Vietnamese American community would rather fly the flag of the defunct Republic of Vietnam than recognize the geopolitics of 21st century Asia. And there are those who oppose reconciliation for ideological reasons.

And the American opponents of a normalized relationship with Vietnam have natural allies in Hanoi â?" not reformers like Khai, but hard-liners in the government who remain deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions.

Both countries need to update their perceptions of one another.

As an American who has spent seven years working in Vietnam for the United Nations, I can attest that most Vietnamese â?" from high officials to ordinary citizens â?" are ready to engage fully with the United States economically, diplomatically and culturally. The Vietnamese are equally united in their insistence that this relationship be one of mutual respect.

Vietnam is one of the most dynamic countries in the world. Nearly 60% of its 80 million people were born after the end of the American War, as they call it, and don't dwell on it. Two decades of economic and political reform have returned the land to farmers, freed the private sector, liberalized trade and opened the door to international investors.

The U.S.-Vietnam commercial relationship is strong. The trade agreement signed with Washington five years ago was an economic bullet train that the Vietnamese did not miss. Exports to the U.S. are up sixfold, and imports from the U.S. have trebled since 2000.

The prime minister's historic visit offers the occasion to accelerate this progress. Vietnam and its entrepreneurs need a fair chance to compete in world markets. After 10 years of negotiations, the country is poised to enter the World Trade Organization. One of the last remaining hurdles is a new, broader trade agreement with the United States. Some U.S. business interests are demanding unrealistically rapid implementation of open-market reforms, while others want to keep punitive tariffs on Vietnamese exports such as catfish and shrimp.

The Bush administration should resist these pressures. Bringing negotiations to a swift conclusion and throwing American weight behind Vietnam's immediate entry into the WTO will help build a prosperous, outward-looking Vietnam.

The two countries' shared interests extend beyond a healthy trading relationship. Both want to engage with China in ways that encourage that nation to use its growing industrial and political power to promote stability in the region.

Defeating global threats such as HIV/AIDS and international terrorism is high on both countries' agendas. Avian influenza may seem like a distant problem to most Americans, but if human-to-human transmission occurs, as appears likely, the risk of a horrific global pandemic is real. Vietnam is likely to be ground zero. With the help of its best scientific minds, the U.S. needs to respond swiftly to this emerging threat.

Vietnam also needs help building domestic institutions to support the market economy. The United Nations Development Program, for example, is working with the American Bar Assn. on legal and judicial reform in Vietnam. The program is working with representative bodies, including the National Assembly, to strengthen legislative oversight of government.

As a signatory to the U.N. Millennium Declaration, Vietnam has made commitments on human development and freedom from want, and more. And although political reform has a long way to go, the Vietnamese people enjoy more freedom today than at any time in their history. American understanding and support is vital to expanding this freedom.

Even as they encounter political resistance at home, Bush and Khai must act resolutely, and pragmatically, in the interests of regional and global health, security and prosperity.

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http://www.vnagency.com.vn/NewsA.asp?LANGUAGE_ID=2&CATEGORY_ID=29&NEWS_ID=156030

Rural Vietnamese children benefit from US-funded nutrition project
   06/21/2005 -- 17:59(GMT+7) 
 
Ha Noi, June 21 (VNA) - As many as 50,830 primary school pupils in central provinces have benefited from the first phase of a nutrient and hygienic education project funded by the Department of Agriculture and the Red Cross of the US.

They are living mostly in the rural areas of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Ngai provinces.

The 6.7 million USD project, started last September, aims to increase the nutrient intake and physical and mental health of children living in poor, rural locations.

The project, with the involvement of the Viet Nam Red Cross, also aims to provide parents and the beneficiary communities with knowledge about children's diseases and environmental sanitation.

The second phase of the project is expected to start in November this year and run through June 2007. It will be expanded to the northern mountainous provinces of Dien Bien and Lai Chau besides the above-said localities.-Enditem

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US investors show keen interest in Viet Nam
   06/21/2005 -- 17:46(GMT+7) 
 
Ha Noi (VNA) - Former Washington state Governor Gary Lock held that US investors have been slow to invest in Viet Nam but their interest has been growing as Viet Nam has introduced additional reforms.

In an interview with Viet Nam Investment Review on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Viet Nam-US diplomatic relations, governor Lock said that Viet Nam is undergoing a very difficult transition and this has caused US investors to hesitate in committing to the Vietnamese market.

Lock said Viet Nam needs to increase government transparency and predictability, further privatise state-owned industries and invest in developing infrastructure, and increasingly  protect intellectual property rights and strengthen the rule of law in order to encourage additional investment.

Gary Lock expressed his optimism about the prospect of US investment in Viet Nam. He sai, "The American Chamber of Commerce reported that the investment climate in Viet Nam has improved in recent years. Viet Namâ?Ts possible accession to the World Trade Organisation will likely lead to increased investment."

Regarding US-Viet Nam economic and trade relations, he said the relations have developed slowly but steadily since President Clinton lifted the trade embargo in 1994. The implementation of the bilateral trade agreement between the two countries has resulted in a sharp increase in trade, as the United States has become Viet Namâ?Ts largest trading partner. US imports from Viet Nam, however, are concentrated in just a few areas, with clothing, shrimp, fuel products and footwear accounting for more than 75 per cent of Vietnamese imports in 2003.

"Viet Namâ?Ts accession to the World Trade Organisation should lead to a significant increase in bilateral trade and provide an economic lift to Viet Namâ?Ts economy," he said, adding, "I strongly support Viet Namâ?Ts accession to the WTO and hope that this occurs as soon as possible."

Talking about the cooperation potential between Washington and localities of Viet Nam, Gary Lock said, "Washington state is the leading exporter to Viet Nam among all US states, with exports reaching 736 million USD in 2003. I hope that Viet Namâ?Ts economic development and implementation of reforms associated with the bilateral trade agreement and accession to the WTO will lead to greater economic ties."-Enditem

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2002342278_vieted21.html

SEATTLE TIMES EDITORIAL

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

Editorial

New and old Vietnam

Seattle should feel honored that it is the first stop in America of Phan Van Khai, prime minister of Vietnam. It has been 30 years since the Vietnam War and 10 years since the normalization of trade. There is no excuse for anything short of normal relations and trade between the United States and Vietnam.

Several hundred protesters, most of them Vietnamese immigrants, believed otherwise. Holding such signs as "human rights before trade," they waved flags of the old South Vietnam and shouted denunciations of communism. We have no more use for communism than they, but the policy they demand will not get the result they want. The world's most oppressive, inhumane governments have been closed. They wall themselves off. China did, under Mao, and Vietnam did for a long time. That Vietnam decided in the 1990s that it wanted to trade with the world was a good sign. That it is buying four Boeing 787s and is downloading thousands of copies of Microsoft Windows in Vietnamese are good signs, and not only because those products are made here. They are products that connect Vietnam to the world.

Further, Vietnam is pushing for admittance into the World Trade Organization. Membership would subject it to certain world standards in trade disputes â?" which is another good sign.

This may mean little to Vietnamese who were put in camps after the communist victory, and who eventually fled the country in small boats. Like the Cuban refugees, they have a hatred of the regime.

We may sympathize, but U.S. foreign policy should aim to bring about the present and future we want, not the past we can never have again.

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http://www.asuwebdevil.com/issues/2005/06/21/arts/693307

Images from a Vietnamese orphanage
An ASU alumnus travels to a faraway land to help people he has never met, and achieves more than adding to his photographic repertoire.
 by Kalea Yoshida  published on Tuesday, June 21, 2005

In a place where white teeth signify savagery and close to 30 percent of its population lives in poverty, Vietnam has a new story to tell. Documentary photographer David Stone, an ASU alumnus, spent three weeks overseas gathering breathtaking images to help with this task.

Vietnam boasts thousands of tourists each year that want to view the untouched landscape. But the land is not all beauty. Scattered with a tumultuous past, the permanent effects of the Vietnam War are still evident -- men and women with missing limbs and broken buildings and families that have never been repaired. The look of disparity can be seen in the eyes of those who lived through it.

In April, Stone visited the Orphanage of Hue in Vietnam. There, he documented his moments with the children and the Buddhist monks that shelter and care for these abandoned lives. 

By taking on this job he would get to do two things he loves most: travel and learn. Stone also liked the idea of helping out children in dire need of a voice of their own. Recording these images would give the orphanage a way to communicate to the rest of the world, telling stories of how they live and what their lives are about. The orphanage currently survives on funding from the Buddhist Church of Vietnam and donations from sponsors.

Through awareness, he hopes that others will contribute to the orphanage.


Forgotten voices

Stone arrived in Vietnam ready to work on April 3. His mission was to record the lives of the people there, all through the use of his camera. He knew the task wouldn't be easy, physically or emotionally.  Not knowing what to expect, he had equipment ready and waiting for whatever lay ahead.

Stone traveled by boat through forests and swamps, to seek out a hidden location in Southern Hue that houses Buddhist temples and Emperors' tombs.

Then a driver took him to a remote location about 30 minutes away. Amidst the jungle, he peered through bamboo shoots and heavy vegetation. He saw a free-standing, earth-colored structure.

The Orphanage of Hue is housed in a hot and humid rain forest with no air conditioning. Windows and doors don't exist there. The complex is made from stone, plaster and wood. Haphazard pillars hold up this structure. There are separate sleeping areas, bathrooms and a kitchen. The classroom has no blackboard and the children's clothing is hand-washed and hung to dry in the sun. The orphanage residents have eaten the same items since move-in day: Beef, chicken, noodles, lettuce and rice. Fresh fruit is served for dessert.

Stone walked past the wooden bunk beds, none of which had mattresses. The children sleep with only thin, worn blankets. They wear standard-issue uniforms: white shirts and navy trousers or skirts. The children followed him around, and even though he does not speak their language, he knew they were asking him to take their picture.

"A lot of the boys followed me the minute I got there," Stone said. "I had my camera in hand and I obviously looked like an American, or a foreigner of some sorts and when I spoke -- 'America No.1!' -- I kept getting that from a lot of kids."

Yet most of the conversations he had were nonverbal. The orphanage director was a female Buddhist monk who spoke no English.

The safe haven is kept alive through joint funding from including Loan Vu, is an orphanage sponsor whom Stone accompanied on the journey.

She is from the area and considers giving back to her people and home community is important. Vu told Stone the orphanage usually houses in between 75 and 100 kids at a time, ranging in age from infants to 18-year-olds. Some had been there as long as six years.    

There were some kids who were troublemakers in the eyes of Vietnamese law, but were too young to go to jail. Others had families who could not afford to care for them. And others were simply abandoned on the streets and were brought to the orphanage for food, shelter and a chance to survive.

There were several interesting things Stone noticed when he entered the orphanage. First, he saw the mixture of emotions in the children.

"Even though some kids were excited to see us, there were still kids that looked ill, worn out and sad," Stone said.

The next observation he made was how the children treated each other. Stone said the children didn't treat the mentally challenged ones any differently. They played and worked together peacefully, without taking notice of their differences.

Aside from his time at the orphanage, Stone presses on to other parts of the land. Other destinations on his list include Ha Noi (the capital), Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) and a secluded island named Phu Quoc.

As a photographer, he experienced many events while there. He saw everything from deserted, moonlit beaches to colorful cities. Stone also looked on at rolling farms and country sides.

He even saw tragedy.

Crosswalks and roads are underdeveloped and the streets of Vietnam are unsafe, even for lifelong residents. Stone recalls witnessing a terrible motorcycle accident involving a young boy and an elderly man. 

"I saw a 15-year-old boy die...he was twisted up a bit. Bloody," Stone said in almost a whisper. When asked what this particular experience was like for him, he replies after a long pause.

"Sobering. Really, it's a reality check," Stone said. "I mean, this guy was just kind of cruising on his motorcycle, enjoying a really beautiful night cause the sunset was really cool that night. I had just got done with a shoot at a fishing village with these local boats...it was just kind of a neat time. It was really pretty out...life's a fragile thing and people tend to forget that. Especially here in America."

Yet if you ask him, Stone will not say that he regrets what he has seen. He cherishes the images that he has had the change to record -- both on film and in his mind.



Behind the lens

A framed image of Wrigley Field will clue you in to Stone's love of baseball and his hometown team, the Chicago Cubs.

"I've been going to games since I was in my mom's womb, man!" Stone exclaims.

Sadly, his original dream of playing baseball ended after he had arm surgery after playing baseball at his prior college. He then decided to come back to Phoenix and attend ASU.

No matter how badly he missed playing ball, he always had his love for photography. Writing poetry for years, he liked relaying how he saw things. The visual aspect of photography is his way to represent things. Documentary-style photography allows Stone to bring stories to life through pictures. So the ex-college baseball player packed up his things after graduating from ASU and moved to Missoula, Mont. to attend photography school. He now spends his life documenting moments that are at times tragic and horrific, yet strikingly beautiful. 

His favorite pictures are the ones that aren't posed.

"I hate traditional portraits," Stone said. "I like to capture you when you're not around. I blend in and people don't notice me around. That's a true photograph. Someone in their actual thought process as opposed to posing."

An only child, he was raised by his mother and stepfather. Growing up, he was given three simple guidelines from his parents: Don't lie, don't cheat and don't steal. These are the guidelines he still lives by today.

Stone is an upfront, no-holds-barred kind of guy who likes old-school punk, blues and a little bit of country.

If he's wearing a long-sleeved shirt, you can't tell that he has several tattoos. On his arms, Stone has a flaming heart with sun rays that surround a tattoo with the letters "PHX," a Latin saying meaning "to be rather than to appear" and an unfinished tattoo of an angel beating a demon with Asian wind bars all around. The tattoos represent his love for Phoenix, a saying he learned from his stepfather and the inner struggle of good and evil within himself, respectively.

"The warrior spirit is totally dwindling away. People aren't as passionate about things anymore," he responds.

And if you're worried if Stone is concerned with being judged for his tattoos, don't be.

"If you're going to judge me on my appearance then that's your thing. Life goes on," he says with a gentle smile.

Stone still writes a lot of poetry and goes to the gym a lot. His studies have taken him to London, Dublin, and the French Alps. He loves Mexican food, but his signature dish is his chicken pistachio.

Curious by nature, his wondering mind has led him to new subjects for his craft.

Stone met a stranger in a bar three years ago in Missoula while in photography school. He quickly learned that his new friend happened to be formerly employed at a local butcher shop. Stone, intrigued by this profession, convinced the man to take him behind the shop's usually closed doors.

There, he found death, gore and a new appreciation for the food on his table.



Somber house

When Stone first arrived at the butcher shop, he immediately noticed something that the employees all have in common. They are all male, strapped with weapons and staring him down.


"They were pretty nuts," Stone said. "Middle-aged to early 50s or 60s. They're all lean and muscular. They all had aprons on and they all have these metal knife holders. You should see the way they work with knives."

Stone snapped his fingers.

"They're quick," he said.  

Although Stone said he was unable to reveal the name of the butcher company, he relived what he saw.


In a cold building, he witnessed a bull waiting in the "Gut it and cut it" station. The bull was being prodded in the testicles just before it got shot with a 22-inch rifle. After the bull was shot, it was quickly stabbed in the back of the head. Its throat was slit.

"It's like someone turned on the faucet, but it's all blood," Stone added with a disturbed look.

Finally, the bull was chained from its Achilles heel and its skin was removed. Stone witnessed three bulls and three pigs go through the same process that day.

"There was one guy who was talking trash to the bull, swearing at it," Stone said. "But overall, they were really nice guys."

Not used to the dark humor of the employees, Stone still understood why the needed to make light of the situation.

"They're around death all the time," Stone said. "You look in their eyes and nothing bothers them."

When Stone was finished with the shoot, he didn't have an original purpose for the images, he said. But he soon discovered that others would have the chance to admire his work.

"I didn't actually know what they would evolve into," he said, laughing. "Two of the pieces were shown at the Saintonage gallery in Missoula."

Not only was his show a success, Stone also has a newfound respect for these men.

"I had no idea how much work was involved. It's also dangerous. You're working with guns in a cement building...I had a new respect for where my meat comes from," he said.


Paradoxical brilliance

Looking back on his travels, Stone remembered that it

wasn't easy touching his native soil after so long.

"I had culture shock coming back home," he admits.

A memory that Stone holds dearly involves a perfectly preserved shell from the beaches of Phantiet. The shell is swimming in sand from the White Sand Dunes in an intriguing wooden box deocrated with hand-carved frogs. The inscription reads:  "4-18-05, 12:45 a.m."

"I was by myself and the water has gone back a lot so there is a lot more beach. It's extremely dark except for all the lights outlining the land. So there's nothing but these lights from the resorts along this beautiful beach at night, these hundred of fishing boat lights way out in the distance, the ocean, the black sky, and above that, millions of stars and you can see 'em all...and then there's me. There's nobody on the beach...I'm by myself and I found this shell. It was really a spiritual time for me...a time to self-reflect."

His last words on Vietnam are on the country's paradoxical brilliance.

"It's a dangerous country; it's beautiful. And absolutely gorgeous."

The two important lessons he's learned from his experiences of both the orphanage and of the butcher shop sound simple but are often forgotten: Appreciate life and stop to smell the flowers. 

Reach the reporter at kalea.yoshida@asu.edu.

 

President Bush and Prime Minister Khai at the White House