Vietnamese-American lawmaker pushes rightsWednesday, January 13, 2010
AFP
WASHINGTON — The only Vietnamese-American member of Congress said Wednesday he urged Hanoi's communist government to improve human rights on a quiet, restricted visit back to his nation of birth.
Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao, the son of a South Vietnamese army officer who fled to the United States when he was eight, paid his first trip back since 2001 as part of a trip to Asia during the holiday recess.
Cao, a longtime advocate for human rights who was joined by two fellow congressmen, said he agreed not to meet with dissidents, hold news conferences or issue press releases as a condition to enter Vietnam.
"The Vietnamese government did not want to issue a visa because they felt that my visit potentially could be, I guess you could say, explosive," Cao told a conference call after returning to Washington.
"In order to get the visa I had to quietly go into Vietnam and to leave quietly," Cao said.
But Cao said he raised specific concerns, including Vietnam's imprisonment of Internet activists whose blogs have rattled the government.
"I directly addressed to them the issues of human rights violations," Cao said.
Cao said he received no specific assurances on any case. But Cao said his discussions with Vietnamese unaffiliated with the government -- including his sister -- offered reason for hope.
"They all said that conditions in Vietnam have greatly improved. People are allowed to operate their businesses and allowed to worship freely, as long as obviously they don't speak out against the government," Cao said.
Cao said the primary goal of visiting Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia was to study ways to help clear up unexploded ordnance dropped by US forces that have killed thousands since the end of the Vietnam War.
He said the US contribution of 3.6 million dollars a year to Laos was only a quarter of what that nation needed.
Cao became the first Vietnamese-born member of the US Congress in 2008 when the then little-known immigration lawyer pulled off an election upset against a corruption-tainted veteran of the Democratic Party.
Cao, who represents a predominantly Democratic and African-American district, has since proven a maverick. The former seminarian was the only Republican House member to support President Barack Obama's drive to bring health care to millions of uninsured Americans.
Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao, the son of a South Vietnamese army officer who fled to the United States when he was eight, paid his first trip back since 2001 as part of a trip to Asia during the holiday recess.
Cao, a longtime advocate for human rights who was joined by two fellow congressmen, said he agreed not to meet with dissidents, hold news conferences or issue press releases as a condition to enter Vietnam.
"The Vietnamese government did not want to issue a visa because they felt that my visit potentially could be, I guess you could say, explosive," Cao told a conference call after returning to Washington.
"In order to get the visa I had to quietly go into Vietnam and to leave quietly," Cao said.
But Cao said he raised specific concerns, including Vietnam's imprisonment of Internet activists whose blogs have rattled the government.
"I directly addressed to them the issues of human rights violations," Cao said.
Cao said he received no specific assurances on any case. But Cao said his discussions with Vietnamese unaffiliated with the government -- including his sister -- offered reason for hope.
"They all said that conditions in Vietnam have greatly improved. People are allowed to operate their businesses and allowed to worship freely, as long as obviously they don't speak out against the government," Cao said.
Cao said the primary goal of visiting Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia was to study ways to help clear up unexploded ordnance dropped by US forces that have killed thousands since the end of the Vietnam War.
He said the US contribution of 3.6 million dollars a year to Laos was only a quarter of what that nation needed.
Cao became the first Vietnamese-born member of the US Congress in 2008 when the then little-known immigration lawyer pulled off an election upset against a corruption-tainted veteran of the Democratic Party.
Cao, who represents a predominantly Democratic and African-American district, has since proven a maverick. The former seminarian was the only Republican House member to support President Barack Obama's drive to bring health care to millions of uninsured Americans.
9 comments:
Joseph Cao, you must tell Hanoi Gov'ts to stop abusing Khmer Kampuchea Krom people! and stop robbed, stealing Khmer Krom lands, including farms lands, Pagoda lands also! those Vietnamese who kept building their home on Khmer Krom lands and not living there, must stop right away..!!
Arrest him, jail him, Vietnam.
He could be a spy.
Once he's in Vietnam, he becomes Vietnamese and Vietnam can do anything.
Don't know about him during Vietname war, the south always work for America in day and work for Vietcong at night.
Keep your eyes on him.
all yuons are the same. he is not on khmer side, for sure.
mr. cao, please don't forget khmer krom rights as well as other minorities in vietnam.
Mr. Cao, you must work harder to change Hanoi communist government. People have no freedom under communist regime.
Mr. Cao, you must work harder to change Hanoi communist government. People have no freedom under communist regime.
well, if he is bias, than it is against the US law because he is a US citizen, not to mention he also represents the american people or american public with his best doing. otherwise, i'm sure american people will vote him out of office in the next election, really! his is a US representative, not suppose to be viet/youn interest, really!
you should tell the Yuonese / Vietnamese Government return Khmer Kampuchea Krom land back to them, the land of Kampuchea Krom as today know by South Vietnam, from the real Khmer Australia
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