Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-16-Speech-4-167"
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"en.20001116.9.4-167"2
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"Mr President, it is gratifying that with President Clinton’s state visit to Vietnam, which began today, another major step has been taken towards reconciliation with the past. The war between these two countries has not led to lasting bitterness. It would be better still though, if the President were not just to concentrate on reinforcing mutual cooperation, when he visits Hanoi, but if he were to make this very cooperation conditional on the extraction of firm promises from Vietnam to drastically improve the prevailing lamentable human rights situation. For there is certainly a great deal amiss in Communist Vietnam.
Contrary to Amendment No 1 tabled by the PSE Group, I noted in a document published on 10 November, that Human Rights Watch regards the human rights situation as being grave on quite a number of counts. Think of those imprisoned for political and religious reasons, some of whom are in re-education camps. Equally, consider how the special UN rapporteur’s recommendations regarding religious intolerance were ignored, and think of the lack of freedom of expression and the ongoing media censorship.
In particular, I would now like to take a brief look at the grave persecution of Christians taking place at present. It is therefore right that these acts should be referred to in recital E and paragraph 5 of the joint resolution.
The most recent edition of the Asian weekly ‘Far East and Economic Review’ today refers to the existence of top secret documents originating from Vietnam. These extremely secret documents give us a rare look behind the scenes of Vietnamese government policy. Closer examination of these official papers – I have read them myself – reveals that the Protestants are the main target of persecution. Hanoi has been particularly alarmed by the unexpectedly rapid growth of Protestant Christianity under the Hmong minority in the country’s mountainous north-western provinces, and this has prompted it to instigate cruel repressive measures.
What is telling about this is the promotion of a district official whose fury has driven hundreds of Christians to take flight. This persecutor of churches has been asked by the powers that be to cleanse not just his own province, but also the entire district, of Christians. The documents that have come to light are nothing less than a smoking gun. They reveal that church closures, arrests and bible burnings are not isolated acts perpetrated by overzealous party officials. No, these outrages derive from the political directives issued by the Vietnamese Communist party. The lie has now been exposed.
After all, the Vietnamese government claims to have introduced freedom of worship in recent years. President Clinton would do well to raise this matter during his present visit to Hanoi. I urge the Council and the Commission to protest in robust terms against this flagrant abuse of freedom of worship by the Vietnamese authorities."@en1
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