Social Activism or Social Blindness - Vietnamese President Meets American Social Activist

VietNamNet Bridge – President Nguyen Minh Triet on December 27 received Merle Ratner, an American social activist and Co-President of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) in the US.

Ratner informed the President that the VAORRC plans to submit a bill to the US Congress in support and compensation to Agent Orange victims in Vietnam.

She highly appreciated the cooperation of the Viet Nam Agent Orange Victims Association (VAVA) and she will work with the VAVA on activities in order to assist AO victims and to continue the legal struggle in the US in the coming time.

She recommended that Vietnam send delegations of youth, women and scientists to the US to help raise people’s awareness and public support on Agent Orange, as well as to reject the accusation of abusing human rights and democracy.

On behalf of the Vietnamese State and people, President Triet thanked Ratner, an age-old friend of the country, for her support of the Vietnamese people during their struggle for national freedom in the past and the AO victims at present.

President Triet also expressed thanks to the American people, especially to the VAORRC for their active support in Vietnam’s struggle for justice for the Vietnamese AO victims. He also expressed his hope that the VAORRC will continue helping Vietnam in this struggle to help reduce the victims’ pain.
-VietNamNet News

Really?

Okay, great work Ratner. You have found something in your life that calls to you and benefits other people. I couldn't agree more Orange Agent is a terrible chemical and it ruined many lives and America should pay for its own use of biological weapon of cruelty because this weapon not only has a short term instantaneous affect, but it affects the innocent lives of people long past after the war. And Vietnam is not the only country afflicted by this American Policy madness of that era, many Cambodians as well were affected.

Here's what I see where you are wrong though. You say that Mr. Triet should send out delegations "to reject the accusation of abusing human rights and democracy" I initially thought you had a good heart and don't have an agenda for your Orange Agent campaign, now I see its just a ploy. You don't wish to help victims of the war, you don't want to help the Vietnamese people. You are a paid government propagandist, by Triet's own word, an old friend of the government. I'm sorry if i shattered your self-acclaim ego of social worker and social activism. You're not a humanitarian, far from it.

How can you be in Vietnam and not know the situation? Do you know how many prisoners of conscious are in Vietnam jail right? How many real social activism are being bind, under house arrest, and abused because they spoke for democracy? Fought for religious freedom, and seek to introduce a multi-party, diverse and democratic Vietnam?

Do you know about the Montagnards, the Khmer-Krom? Khmer-Krom have at least 5 monks imprison and Vietnam even go to make order and arrest a citizen monk of Cambodia Tim Sakhorn. Not only is Vietnam violate the rights of its own citizen but it does not even care for international protocols and play into its weaker neighbors internal affair anytime it wants to. Also what about Father Le, Thich Quang Do, and other people who write from Vietnam and were jailed. I guess their words and suffering didn't count, what do they know, they live in Vietnam right! They're not visitors. They won't see Vietnam with an unbiased eye. Too much influenced and partiality.

Only people like you can see the truth. And I hope your truth set you free, free of your conscious that is.

Sonando: Government Responsibility to the Public and Lack Of

Listen to Mr. Sonando's speech on Cambodian government
Human Rights forum, Mr. Mom Sonando, Beehive Radio Director points out to government corruption of a party-based leadership within the executive department rather then an elective official of people's wish.

He also addresses issues of land ownership, government responsibilities towards citizens.

Here are key points of his speech:
1. Government is a body elected to represent the people, must stay neutral in the obligation of its duty to the nation, not distinguishing who to help based on party loyalty

2. Government duties should not been seen as acts of generosity of certain individuals, citizens must not see it as invitation to pledge loyalty. Government should not use state resource to sponsor political propaganda and reward relief and assistance based on allegiance. It should represent and help all citizen.

3. Government should be responsible for ushering in proper and genuinely helpful development for the citizens rather then to steal their land and accuse them of not being useful with them. Governments should have development based programs and education for poor citizens.

4. The government's land, national asset, does not "belong" to the government.. They are a national asset of the entire citizens and must be shared by all citizens for enhancement of their living.

Nation - Religion - King [-Cambodia is not an independent state]

Kampuchea Krom Buddhist monks clash with riot police during a protest near the Vietnam embassy in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh December 17, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

By Charlie Thach
Posted at KKFYC

On December 17, 2007, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, about 50 Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks with a petition marched to Vietnamese Embassy. The petition called to the government of Vietnam to firstly, release Venerable Tim Sakhorn who was defrocked and deported from Cambodia and imprisoned in Vietnam; secondly, release five Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks who are imprisoned in Khleang (Soc Trang) province, thirdly, resolve the conflicts of Khmer Krom land confiscated by the Vietnam government in the post 1978; lastly, for the Vietnam government to respect the rights of indigenous people. The monks were abruptly stopped by sixty Cambodian police armed with shields, wooden and electrical batons, and some armed with pistols and assaulted Ak-47 rifles.

Since the Vietnamese Embassy refused to take the petition, the determined monks then seated in front of the embassy and began to chant, after awhile the monks seeing that it is hopeless to wait any longer and decided to return to their pagoda. But for some of the monks they did not want to relinquish so they tried to move closer to the embassy. Unfortunately, the monks were stopped aggressively by Polices, beaten and electrocuted with the batons. The helpless monks tried to depart back to their pagoda as fast as they could run. The police chased the monks for more than four blocks, along the way the police either kicked the monks with their boots or beat them with their batons.

According to Article 4 of Cambodia Constitution “The Motto of the Kingdom of Cambodia is: Nation, Religion, King” and in Article 43 “Buddhism shall be the State religion.” Even when the King of Cambodia meets a monk; he still has to show his respect because it is a state religion. Unfortunately, on December 17, 2007, Cambodia Police violently broke the motto of the nation to deliberately beat the Buddhist monks.

It is appalling to see pictures of Cambodian armed police kick a powerless monk trying to escape so hard that he ascended into the air and to see monks electrocuted so severely that caused them to faint. Is it true that in Cambodia, the law enforcers are allowed to beat helpless Buddhist monks?

Surprisingly, according to Radio Free Asia, on the same day, there were 39 Vietnamese who live in Cambodia without permission from Cambodian government came to protest in front of Chinese Embassy because China just took over the Spratly and Paracel islands. None of the Vietnamese protestors were harmed by Cambodian law enforcers. The question is why did the Cambodia polices just stop and beat the Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks who just tried to submit the petition to the Vietnamese Embassy, but they did not do anything to the Vietnamese who protested against China in front of the Chinese Embassy?

The Khmer-Krom Buddhist monks escaped Vietnam to seek refuge in our brother country, Cambodia, hoping that they will have their rights protected. Unfortunately, they even got beat-up by their own Khmer polices who tried to please the Vietnamese Embassy. With this heartbreaking incident, it seems that Cambodia is not an independent state.