While the Most Venerable Thich Nhat Ban was imprisoned for his association with the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, his Ba La Mat temple was confiscated and demolished. His New Year’s message to UBCV followers was deemed counter-revolutionary and was removed.

The Most Venerable Thich Khong Tanh was praying on the ground where the Lien Tri pagoda once was. The Vietnamese government expropriated the land without just compensation and demolished the pagoda in September 2016.

Monk Thich Dong Quang standing where his temple Linh Son was destroyed while he was under treatment in the hospital on Jan 11, 2019, shortly before the Lunar New Year.

An online conference to call attention to this legislation is on 11/17/2021, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM EST. The public and media can register at https://bit.ly/3GfU3Zl

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November 5, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a letter to the US Congress, 139 religious and community organizations are calling on the US House of Representatives to pass HR 3001 Vietnam Human Rights Act and the US Senate to adopt and pass a companion bill. Advocates of this legislation believe that it is time to sanction Vietnamese officials and others who are complicit in systematic violations of internationally recognized human rights, including particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

On May 4, 2021, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional Vietnam Caucus, introduced HR 3001, Vietnam Human Rights Act. This legislation was co-sponsored by 28 other Representatives from both parties. Vietnam has an abysmal record of religious freedom, as reported by the US State Department and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. Other than applying sanctions from other legislations that have been enacted into laws, this bipartisan bill would also:

- Prohibit any funding for Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, which engages in cyber-espionage activity and hacking;
- Require enhanced reporting on Vietnamese human rights violations;
- Promote internet freedom and the flow of information in Vietnam;
- Call for restrictions on non-humanitarian assistance to Vietnam until certain human rights milestones are met.

An online conference, hosted by the Buddhist Youth Organization, is being organized to call attention to this legislation. The conference will include remarks from Senator John Cornyn (TX), Representative Tom Emmer (MN), Representative Tom Tiffany (WI), Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA) and other Senators and Representatives, Commissioner Anurima Bhargava (USCIRF), as well as testimonials from oppressed religious communities in Vietnam. A panel of experts will discuss legislative efforts to address Vietnam’s human rights abuses.

As it is forging closer ties with Vietnam in an effort to control China’s ambition, America is faced with another totalitarian regime which models after its Chinese counterparts and shows a similar record of human rights violations. As one of the organizers of the conference remarked, “We cannot build a free and open Indo-Pacific, if the peoples in the region, including the Vietnamese, are not free and their societies are not open.”

The 1 ½ hour online event is moderated live on November 17, 2021 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon EST. The public and the media can register for the event at https://bit.ly/3GfU3Zl.

Dr. David Tran MD
Vietnamese American Unified Buddhist Church
tvphapche@gmail.com