Posted on 10/01/2006 3:42:08 AM PDT by John Carey
Vietnam plans to release more human rights prisoners in October as a gift for President Bush as he plans to attend the November APEC Conference. The latest news is from The Washington Times of September 24, 2006, the essay is called “Vietnam Prisoner release Imperative” was written by John Carey and his wife Honglien Do. Before that in Vietnam media on September 23, 2006, the government of Vietnam said it is expected to release more prisoners to placate the Americans between from September 28 until October 5. The Vietnam Department of Economics /Ministry of Defence and Military Businesses (Bo Quoc Phong) is making a list of the people to be released so the president can decide to release people before permanent amnesty.
On October 30 and 31 the final decision will be made on release. Does this mean the government will release Nguyen Vu Binh or who else? The particular news in The Washington Times on September 24, 2006 asked the government of Vietnam to release Mrs. “Cuc” Foshee. According to her family, who talked to a reporter, the government of Vietnam arrested “Cuc” Foshee and detained her without charge or trial. Mrs. Foshee has been denied rights and visitors, has been denied her healthcare and medicine.
Mrs. Foshee was arrested on August 9, 2005 and has been in jail until now. Mrs. Foshee, from her home in Florida, apparently used the internet to advocate democracy in Vietnam. Will the government of Vietnam release Nguyen Vu Binh and Mrs. “Cuc” Foshee, we do not know. The American government has asked for their release but there is no news in Vietnam of Nguyen Vu Binh and Mrs. “Cuc” Foshee.
(Excerpt) Read more at johnib.wordpress.com ...
The VCs respond to pressure properly applied as Castro never did. Things don't happen all at once, but they happen.I would not like to see this government go entirely quietly. The Korean model functioned very well. Demonstrations in the streets with even some anti-American rhetoric built over time and never met with organized deadly force, though they were vigorously opposed . Eventually Park Chung Hee went down. The government was regularized and the bosses removed. And seeKorea today. Viet Nam can do that, too, and since the government there was never an "ally" of the US there will be no anti-American shouting. I hope and suspect that we are encouraging the process while we are extending the the hand of friendship to the VN government. I expect to see the Vietnamese Miracle as the subject of an article in the Economist in 7 years or so after Viet Nam goes from Honda 90s to 2 car families.
Correction. I left out "no." It should say "...met with NO organized deadly force..."
What is the status with 'Nam POW's? Are the Vietnamese still holding POW's? Or were they all finally released? Just curious...
I see the potential for Vietnam to become a free, capitalist country with a strong economy, perhaps in 20 years. It would be amazing if it happened sooner, however.
Also a potential ally against China....
All POWs released....
I am betting sooner. I talked to many small(tiny) businessmen who were uniformly pessimistic that anything would change. questioned them hard about what things were like 5 years before, 3 years before, last year. They amazed themselves how far and fast they had come by 2003.
Viet Nam is trying to interest the US in setting up shop in Cam Ranh again. Hey, it's almost just like we left it, a little more run down but the Russians made no changes in what they came to when they moved in.
I don't think they are holding any more at all. Some guys were taken to Russia and those will not be accounted for ever unless we find them in Russian MGB records. Some never made the records in Ha Noi and we will get some remains back as they are stumbled upon. There are far fewer unaccounted for in the VN war than in any previous war. VN is very desirous to satisfy us that they are doing all they can to send home the remains they can find.That government wants Viet Nam to be protected from China by the USA and that is the leverage we have over them.
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