Vietnamese Commentator Calls US Human Rights Report “Outdated”
Text of report in English by Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan website on 15 March
[Commentary by Quang Ha "They Continue To Repeat Obsolete and Outdated Voice"]
By issuing the 2007 Human Rights Report on March 11, the US Department of State once again gave themselves the “right” to assess democracy and human rights in other countries while ignoring their practices in the US.
Over recent years, the US Department of State’s annual report on human rights appears to be unchanged as stated by the Russian Foreign Ministry that “Many of the sections are copied from the previous reports. One gets the impression that the State Department simply collected facts to support conclusions formulated in advance.”
This is a truth. By referring to the content about Vietnam, the newly released report is remarkably similar to previous years, especially the 2006 report. This shows that authors of the report continued to repeat the same outdated information, distorting human rights situation in Vietnam. They even ignore the undeniable truth that Vietnam is an independent nation with its own sovereignty and legal system which ensures social stability, supports economic development and creates all necessary conditions for the people to realise their rights and responsibilities.
In addition, the 2007 report was aimed at defining opposition and illegal activities, of a numbers of individuals which were punished by the administration, with the concept of “political prisoners.” They have used one-sided information to create a non-objective picture in religious freedom, pretending not to know about the strong development and effective operation of Vietnam’s press system so as to produce a fabrication that “Vietnam restricts freedom of speech and press.” The report even mentions several domestic maters which should be avoided in the spirit of diplomatic behaviour and high sense of responsibility among countries in a modern world.
They have produced incorrect and unilateral assessments which are intended to not only hurt the Vietnamese State and people but also have a negative effect to the increasing relations between the two countries as affirmed by many US politicians.
On the path towards building a more prosperous and stronger nation, the Vietnamese people have always stood side by side with the Party and State, overcoming the economic, social and human consequences caused by the US aggressors in their devastating war against Vietnam. The Vietnamese people have made great efforts to deal with numerous difficulties which resulted from the US embargo and are now focusing on reaching the target of “a prosperous people, a strong nation and an equitable, democratic and civilised society.”
The facts show that the efforts made by the Vietnamese Party, State and people are of practical foundation, meeting all of the entire people’s necessary demands and conforming with the development rule.
This has been proved by the important achievements of the country’s renovation process including higher social and economic indexes, the people’s increasingly improved living standards and higher prestige in the international arena. These achievements have received the admiration of countries in the world. After visiting Vietnam, many US politicians also recognised the positive changes in the country.
It is not an accident that UN Resident Coordinator John Hendra noted on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2007 that “Vietnam has made tremendous social and economic progress, and shown leadership by ratifying several key international human rights treaties.” BBC reported that at the hearing on Vietnam-US relations held at the Senate on March 12, US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill had praised the positive changes concerning Vietnam’s economic integration and bilateral ties between the two countries. Meanwhile, a senior interpreter of the US Department of State who attended the hearing expressed his disagreement towards the extravagant criticism against Vietnam. He said that Vietnam was a victim of many aggressive forces. He also noted that Vietnam’s independence and definition of freedom and human rights are different from the US.
If they really attach importance to the issue of human rights, the US Department of State should support the Vietnamese people’s just and legitimate cause. This is because human rights are the rights that people are able to live in an independent and free nation, to work and enjoy their fruit. In addition, there is no reason why the US Department of State can not understand the attempt of imposing one nation’s concept on others is no longer fashionable.
Each nation has its own laws suitable to its specific conditions, cultural identity and people’s aspirations. A nation has to maintain its law in order to ensure social stability and of course it is an important foundation for development. However, they intended to ignore the vivid practice in Vietnam concerning the country’s remarkable social, economic and human records. They continued to lend a hand to a number of people who are launching illegal activities or taking advantage of religious freedom to carry out acts of sabotage against the Vietnamese State and darken the image of a renovating country.
Today, promoting international relations for a common purpose of prosperity and happiness requires each nation to show the attitude of mutual respect for cooperation and progress. Therefore, each nation has its right to select a development path of its own characteristics. In addition, civilised behaviour among nations in a modern world includes respecting each other. This means that the US Department State’s 2007 Human Rights Report is outdated and runs counter to the human development trend.
Originally published by Nhan Dan website, Hanoi, in English 15 Mar 08.
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