Smith Introduces Vietnam Human Rights Act (2002/2003 - Died in Senate, Kerry put hold on it)

house.gov ^

[chance33_98]

Smith Introduces Vietnam Human Rights Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Chris Smith, Vice Chairman of the House Committee on International Relations, has been joined by 30 bipartisan colleagues in reintroducing the Vietnam Human Rights Act today.

Smith’s legislation will prohibit any increase in U.S. non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam unless Hanoi makes significant progress toward releasing political and religious prisoners and respecting the human rights of ethnic minorities.

The bill also authorizes funding to overcome Vietnam’s jamming of Radio Free Asia and expands outreach to Vietnamese refugees to ensure they have access to resettlement programs.

“The Vietnam Human Rights Act will impose significant penalties on the dictators in Hanoi for their ongoing and egregious persecution of their own people,” Smith said today at a press conference attended by bill cosponsors and human rights activists. “What this bill is all about is standing with the oppressed rather than the oppressor.”

“Vietnam is a government that consistently employs a policy of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, and -- increasingly in the last three years -- imprisonment and other forms of detention against those who peacefully express opposition to Hanoi’s extreme policies against religion and freedom,” Smith said. “This is a government that punishes not just individuals who oppose it, but also often their family members.”

Smith introduced similar legislation during the last Congress. That bill passed the House by a vote of 410-1 but died in the Senate because Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts placed a hold on the bill and prevented it from being brought to the floor for a vote.

“I pledge to do everything in my power to ensure that this bill passes not only the House but also the Senate and reaches the President’s desk as well,” Smith said.

“Opponents of this measure often invoke the phrase ‘Vietnam is a country, not a war.’ I agree that Vietnam is a country, but as such we expect Vietnam to behave as a country that protects the rights of its citizens.”

For Immediate Release: April 3, 2003

[Howlin]

Somebody is dumping a CRAP LOAD of stuff about Kerry this weekend -- and I'm loving it!

[Howlin]

FYI.

[Mo1]

but died in the Senate because Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts placed a hold on the bill and prevented it from being brought to the floor for a vote.

HELLO

[Howlin]

This is why the veterans are so mad at him.


How many articles does this make TODAY that are anti-Kerry????

[Mo1]

PING

[Mo1]

Check this out

[chance33_98]

Kerry's Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Trade of the House Committee on Ways and Means Hearing on U.S.-Vietnam Trade Relations June 18, 1998

[onyx]

Can there possibly be more awful stuff about Kerry that hasn't yet been published?


Oh yeah. More to come. A whole lot more.

[Howlin]

This guy is more dangerous than Bill Clinton ever thought about being, IMO.

[Howlin]

Can there possibly be more awful stuff about Kerry that hasn't yet been published?

A girl can dream, can't she?

[DoughtyOne]

Wha... I thought Kerry was concerned about the Vietnamese people and their plight. Snicker...

[chance33_98]

UNITED STATES -VIETNAM BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT Pages 1-3 are Kerry opening remarks, He gives credit to Reagan and Bush 1....

[onyx]

No dream, Howlin. I just pinged you to another "drop." LOL!

[nopardons]

If only all of thsi info would get out to the general public...but it won 't. :-(

[onyx]

Plenty of time between now and November. The voting public will pay attention come October. Surprise.

[nopardons]

True..........they never do wake up until mid October, do they?

[kcvl]

Senator John F. Kerry

http://kerry.senate.gov/bandwidth/contact/email.html

[onyx]

Nope. It must be nice to go about one's business and not pay attention to politics until it's necessary. We ought to give it a whirl one of these years. :>)

[chance33_98]

Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should establish an international education policy to enhance national security and significantly further United States foreign policy and global competitiveness, and for other purposes.