Excerpt from Proof Legislative Assembly Daily Hansard of the Parliament of Victoria dated Thursday, 1 March 2007.
Fr Nguyen Van Ly
Mr DONNELLAN (Narre Warren North) — In March 2006 I went to Vietnam specifically to visit political dissidents, one of whom was Fr Nguyen Van Ly in Hue. I have been informed over the past couple of days that Fr Ly was recently arrested by 60 Communist thugs.
What disappoints me more than anything else about this is the Vietnamese Prime Minister recently visited the Vatican. I understand that the Vietnamese Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, told His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI that Vietnam was free and tolerant and respected the religious and democratic rights of its people. It is plainly obvious it does not. It is plainly obvious Vietnam does not like dissent. Fr Ly is one of the highest profile dissidents in the country. All he is calling for is basic religious and democratic freedom. He, along with Fr Loi, has been writing an underground paper for many years. He has now been arrested, after spending 10 years of his life in jail under this thuggish Vietnamese region.
For whole document refer to attachment page 12 of section 4.
