Monday, November 04, 2013

Vietnam’s suppression should not be rewarded


Strong arm of the Law


WP - The Post’s View

By Editorial Board, Published: October 6

AS CHINA’S power grows, Vietnam has been working hard to build closer relations with the United States. Vietnam’s president visited the White House in July; it has encouraged U.S. involvement in territorial disputes between China and several Asian countries, including Vietnam; and it is proposing to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a free-trade deal with the United States and 11 other countries.
 
Protest-suppression
The Obama administration has encouraged this shift as part of its “pivot” to Asia, which is intended to balance China’s influence. But, unlike most of its neighbors, Vietnam is doing little to distinguish itself from the Communist regime in Beijing. Like China, it has opened its economy to foreign investment and free markets. But, just as China’s new leadership has clamped down on dissent in the last year, so, too, has Vietnam’s. This year, at least 46 activists have been jailed for criticizing the ruling Communist Party or campaigning for human rights, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The regime’s latest victim was one of the country’s most popular and courageous advocates of greater freedom: Le Quoc Quan, a 42-year-old lawyer, outspoken Catholic and blogger. On Wednesday Mr. Quan was sentenced to 30 months in prison on trumped-up charges of tax evasion. He was arrested last December, a few days after publishing an article that questioned whether the Communist Party’s monopoly on power should be excised from the country’s constitution.

This is not the first time Mr. Quan has suffered repression. In 2007, he was arrested shortly after returning from a fellowship with the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington; he was released three months later after protests from Washington. In 2011, he was detained again for observing the trial of another dissident. In 2012, he was attacked and badly beaten by men he said were state security agents. In the face of all this, Mr. Quan persevered, posting on his blog regular accounts of human rights abuses and proposals for political liberalization.

A poem he wrote in prison while awaiting trial, posted online by Human Rights Watch , includes this stanza:

Suffering in every way is our miserable people

Achieved independence, yet no freedom

Widespread is the nation’s disease of corruption

No more rights of freedom and democracy

In dark cells, those who fight for it are imprisoned

Though Mr. Quan has long been a friend of the United States, the Obama administration’s reaction to his conviction was characteristically low-key. A statement issued by the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said “the use of tax laws by Vietnamese authorities to imprison government critics for peacefully expressing their political views is disturbing,” noting that it placed Vietnam at odds with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Should it not also place Vietnam outside the boundaries of a free-trade alliance that will depend on respect for the rule of law? Senior U.S. officials will be seeing their Vietnamese counterparts at an Asian summit meeting next week: That question should be on the table.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

don't copy yuon, especially in politics and freedom, etc, they are the worst kind!

Anonymous said...

Then, why are supporting ah HUN SEN 6:08AM? Isn't ah HUN SEN Viet's slave?

Anonymous said...

6:11am, i don't understand why people like you keep attacking hun sen for yuon's slave or whatever? i wonder if you alleged him like that, did you talk to him in person to find out why he wants to be yuon's slave or you just make it up without any substance? for your info, people are sick and tired to hear your racial ranting whether about yuon or whatever, it's getting old! cambodia and its leader and its people deserve better than this!

Anonymous said...

Either you are playing dumb with us or you are extremely stupid not to know that ah HUN SEN is Viet's slave, 6:39 AM!! Take your pick, which one are you?

Anonymous said...

now we know why khmer krom is the victims of the yuon/vietnam. they suppress people's voice!

Anonymous said...

VC attitude will never change. They are very good at lying, cheating and manipulation. That is why their people continue to escape from such a regime. Majority advertised themselves into marrying foreigners from all over the world. They simply don't want to be part of the communists themselves, why? beacuse they are being controlled by immoral people, they rule to steal, rob and kill. They would apply with the same evil rule and tactic toward their neighour countries like Laos, Champa, Khmer Krom and to the whole khmer nation.

Soon, they will kill Ah Hun dynasty and take it all like always. Their evil tactics will continue on and on until the whole Southeast Asia belong to them. Their plan is to be big and better all the times, why? they believe in order to take over China, they have to big and strong and now, they tried to be close to the US in order to execute the China for their own benefit, after that, they will get rid of the US too, why? because 'they (VC) are expansionists and they are like crocodiles' Kingta.

Anonymous said...

Khmer never wanted to wake up from the bad dream. They will fight each other until they all end up in the grave. Also they never learned the lesson from the genocide period and eventually history will repeated it's self.§§§

Anonymous said...

7:47 AM,

Tell ah fucking Viet/YUON to stop supporting or hiding himself behind ah HUN SEN, you'll see that all Khmer's problems will be solved peacefully and gracefully. Without those fucking Viet/YUON ah HUN SEN and his CPP's thugs will be all DEAD MEAT! got it?

Anonymous said...

Just remember in the US recently surfaced was the accusation of President Barrack Obama hounding the Tea Party using IRS agents trying to silence those who oppose him? Would this explain why he is low-key about his friend disposition?

The quickest way to win favor with Obama is to become a Muslim and be part of Muslim Brotherhood.

I just read recently by one of Muslim Brotherhood in America saying in his tweet: America is Islam. Obama been strengthening the hand of the Brotherhood to turn America into an Islamic dominant.

I don't think the Chinese are afraid of America might anymore. They have submarines that could deliver nuclear payloads into major cities across America.

The Dragon has roared and who would not be afraid?

New World Disorder Malaise

Anonymous said...

6:08 AM. Are you dumb? AH Hun Sen is not only a Youn slave, but hes also a Khmer traitor.

Cambodia has immigration law, but has Ah Hun Sen ever used the law to stop the Youn from freely moving into Cambodia? Look at how amny Youn are in Khmer.

Also look at how many land treaties Ah Hun Sen signed over to Youn.

When Sam Rancy removed the illegal border post, What did Ah Hun Sen the Youn dog do?? He sentenced Sam Rancy to 12 years in prison, and also sentenced the land owner to prison.

What was Sam Rancy charged with?? Destruction to private property! Use your brain Ah CHkae. Ah Hun Sen is a Youn slave.

Anonymous said...

Don't give YOUN to much credit for khmer problems.§§§

Anonymous said...

There has been already one problem with your comment there 9:14 AM. That's a cliché that our frenemy VIET/YUON has been banking on if and when Khmer happens to say something about the VIET/YUON. Do you know or have you heard the story of the pejorative word YUON? Don't tell me that you haven't!!!

Anonymous said...

yuon is like bad spirit to khmer, they attache to khmer weakness. i say khmer should tell them to go away, and they are not welcome with cambodia!

Anonymous said...

9:04 AM

We're sick of your New World Disorder!

Anonymous said...

9:14 AM

Khmer problems are not Khmer.
Khmer problems are stemmed from Viet expansionism policies and politics.
Understand the causes !

Anonymous said...

Good for USA.. US never learn from the past. More american will dead and VC will sit and watch. VC will said let used the white people fight for us against China.