Ranking member Eni Faleomavaega of the US House of Representatives’Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific has said that the Vietnam HumanRights Act (HR 1410), passed on September 11, 2012 by voice vote onthe House floor, is the wrong way forward.
In a pressrelease on Sept. 12, Eni Faleomavaega expressed his regret at theissuance of the bill, which was offered by the Subcommittee on Africa,Global Health, and Human Rights, although the Subcommittee on Asia andthe Pacific has broad jurisdiction for US policy affecting Vietnam.
“The Africa Subcommittee had no interest in obtainingmore accurate information before putting a flawed bill like thisforward,” Faleomavaega said.
In his opinion, the HR 1410 is based on outdated information which is not representative of Vietnam’s progress.
It is also shortsighted in its approach and contrary to the efforts ofthe Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administrations, all of which have soughtto strengthen US partnership with Vietnam, he added.
He affirmed that the bill is not law, and it is highly unlikely thatit will ever become law in its present form because although HR 1410purports to promote the development of freedom and democracy in Vietnam,it fails in its purpose.
The CongressionalResearch Service also believed that the bill could chill the recentwarming of bilateral political and security ties and could weakeneconomic reformers in ongoing domestic political battles inside Vietnam.
Faleomavaega added that the State Department shares his concerns that
measures in HR 1410 could adversely affect US’ security relationshipwith Vietnam and greatly reduce chances of negotiating a roadmap onhuman rights. It does not best serve the interests of the US as well asthe Vietnamese American community.
As a personwho used to serve in Vietnam in 1967, he said from 1967 to 1971, the USsprayed millions of litres of Agent Orange in Vietnam, subjectingmillions of innocent civilians to dioxin. However, there seems to be noreal interest on the part of the US to clean up the mess it left behind,he added.
He said while Vietnam may have work todo on improving its human rights record, the US also has work to dowhich should include being sincere about the measurable progress Vietnamhas made.
Faleomavaega included in his pressrelease the statement of the Vietnamese Embassy in the US and excerptsfrom the State Department report to clear up the misleading data whichwas put forward in HR 1410.
“I hope that the advocates ofHR 1410, if they are truly sincere about human rights, will apply theirefforts to assisting Vietnam with Agent Orange clean-up because the messwe left behind is a serious violation of human rights that needs to becorrected once and for all,” Faleomavaega concluded.-VNA
In a pressrelease on Sept. 12, Eni Faleomavaega expressed his regret at theissuance of the bill, which was offered by the Subcommittee on Africa,Global Health, and Human Rights, although the Subcommittee on Asia andthe Pacific has broad jurisdiction for US policy affecting Vietnam.
“The Africa Subcommittee had no interest in obtainingmore accurate information before putting a flawed bill like thisforward,” Faleomavaega said.
In his opinion, the HR 1410 is based on outdated information which is not representative of Vietnam’s progress.
It is also shortsighted in its approach and contrary to the efforts ofthe Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administrations, all of which have soughtto strengthen US partnership with Vietnam, he added.
He affirmed that the bill is not law, and it is highly unlikely thatit will ever become law in its present form because although HR 1410purports to promote the development of freedom and democracy in Vietnam,it fails in its purpose.
The CongressionalResearch Service also believed that the bill could chill the recentwarming of bilateral political and security ties and could weakeneconomic reformers in ongoing domestic political battles inside Vietnam.
Faleomavaega added that the State Department shares his concerns that
measures in HR 1410 could adversely affect US’ security relationshipwith Vietnam and greatly reduce chances of negotiating a roadmap onhuman rights. It does not best serve the interests of the US as well asthe Vietnamese American community.
As a personwho used to serve in Vietnam in 1967, he said from 1967 to 1971, the USsprayed millions of litres of Agent Orange in Vietnam, subjectingmillions of innocent civilians to dioxin. However, there seems to be noreal interest on the part of the US to clean up the mess it left behind,he added.
He said while Vietnam may have work todo on improving its human rights record, the US also has work to dowhich should include being sincere about the measurable progress Vietnamhas made.
Faleomavaega included in his pressrelease the statement of the Vietnamese Embassy in the US and excerptsfrom the State Department report to clear up the misleading data whichwas put forward in HR 1410.
“I hope that the advocates ofHR 1410, if they are truly sincere about human rights, will apply theirefforts to assisting Vietnam with Agent Orange clean-up because the messwe left behind is a serious violation of human rights that needs to becorrected once and for all,” Faleomavaega concluded.-VNA
