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Women for Human Rights in Vietnam

www.whrvn.org

February 20, 2008

The Honorable Michael Chertoff

Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security

Washington D.C. 20528

Fax: 202-282-9188

Re.: Issues Relating to the Deportation Agreement between the United States and Vietnam

Women for Human Rights in Vietnam earnestly calls on the United States government to temporarily suspend the Deportation (Agreement) process against Vietnamese until we may have arrived at the following satisfactory concerns:

1. Problem regarding the status of political refugees: Many people have left Vietnam for America in order to seek political asylum or reunite with their relatives who have fled from the dictatorial regime of Vietnam . If for whatever reason they are being repatriated to Vietnam , where they had fled, they would likely be placed under extremely dangerous situation for themselves and their families. Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms "Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution". If for any reason, Vietnamese are being repatriated to where they had fled, they would certainly be persecuted.

2. The problem of resettlement for those who are being repatriated: Unlike the United States , Vietnam is a totalitarian state. The choice to resettle in a certain locality does not rest with the repatriated individual but with the Vietnamese government. With a vindictive policy and arbitrary law, there are no guarantee that the Vietnamese authority would fairly resolve the place of residence according to the needs of the repatriated persons, those who have fled Vietnam due to political reasons.

3. The problems of property rights of those who have fled Vietnam : Properties of those who left Vietnam due to political reasons or reunions, are either being confiscated by Vietnamese government, or had been forced sold to the state with a depressed price. The problem is how to justly settle these issues of the deported persons when they are being forced back to their place of origin where their houses and properties had been taken.

4. The problem of respecting basic human rights: Vietnam does not respect their citizens right to voluntarily join parties, or their right to enjoy the freedom of thoughts. Among those who are being deported, there are a number of people who were activists or have joined parties, and organizations and have struggled for Freedom and Democracy in America,  activities that Vietnam considers to be anti-Vietnam. How would the United States guarantee their safety and protect them from retaliation, harassment or harms?

5. The problem of Vietnam retaliation policy: Vietnam has been pursuing a policy of retaliation against those who they believe are suspect or not having favorable views of. Under this policy, not only these people who are being deported but their children and families will run into difficulties trying to integrate into Vietnam society in the future. The problems of education, social advancement, finding gainful employment, etc…will be apparent under the communist systematic bad treatment.

Sincerely,

Jane DoBui, Spokeswoman for Women for Human Rights in Vietnam

cc: U.S. Congressional members:

-          Zoe Lofgren

-          Michael Honda

-          Loretta Sanchez
 

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۝ Viet Catholics clash with police in Hanoi

Hanoi, Jan. 25, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Angered by the Vietnamese government's refusal to restore Church possession of the office once occupied by the apostolic nuncio in Hanoi, more than 2,000 Catholics demonstrated at the site on January 25. Some were beaten and taken into custody by local police.
 

▼ Enter Here ▼
to Support Vietnamese Catholic Church
in Request for the Return of Confiscated Church Properties
▲▲▲
 

In the former city of Saigon, thousands of Catholics met yesterday evening in a prayer vigil at the Redemptorist convent, to ask the government to give back to the Church 15 acres of land seized for commercial purposes. The Superior of the order asks all the faithful of the country to support the Redemptorists, who have conducted demonstration in Hanoi.
 

VIETNAM: While peaceful demonstrations for the restitution of the old building of the apostolic delegation in Hanoi continues, parishioners from Thai Ha ask for church lands to be restored. But this time police intervene.
 

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Most of the demonstrators wore identical T-shirts with the red-and-gold Vietnamese flag, a map of Vietnam that included the islands, and the words " China hegemony jeopardises Asia " and "Beware of the invasion."Another banner read: "We are small but not reconciled to China 's invasion." <<more>>
 

They urged the Vietnamese government to stand up for their people
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Vietnam - November 27, 2007 – The Ha Noi government ruled that the sentences of human rights lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan on appeal trial were reduced to 4 and 3 years of imprisonment from 5 and 4 years respectively. <<more>>
 

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Dear Members of the Caucus,

I am here today on behalf of Women For Human Rights in Vietnam. This organization was formed to advocate for women in Vietnam who are victimized and suffer daily due to the unjust imprisonment of their relatives.<<more>>
 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of Women For Human Rights in Vietnam, I thank you so much for being here to express your concern for human rights in Vietnam. I also thank Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan for inviting me to this commemoration and giving me an opportunity to talk today, to tell every one present about women’s human rights  <<more>>