October 14, 2007
Ambassador Michael Michalak
Embassy of the United States
7 Lang Ha Street
Ha Noi – Vietnam
Dear Ambassador Michalak:
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to you for listening to the Vietnamese American community regarding our concerns on current issues in Vietnam. As young Vietnamese Americans, we care for our homeland and would like to see a brighter future for Vietnamese people.
Recently, there have been numerous peasant protests in Vietnam against illegal land confiscation and social injustices. In July 2007, more than 2,000 farmers protested for 27 days in Saigon. However, the peaceful protest was forcibly ended by over 1,500 policemen. Despite these attempts to inhibit the peasants from demanding justice, they continue to assemble in numbers in Saigon. Presently, more than 500 farmers continue to protest in Saigon and this number is still growing.
Over the years, millions of farmers had their land and properties illegally confiscated with unreasonable offers for compensation from corrupt local authorities. Many have acted alone on this matter and demanded justice from the local authorities; but for their persistence, were either harassed or imprisoned. Finally, after years of receiving little or no attention to this ongoing problem, the people decided to collectively make a statement.
However, the Vietnamese government does not allow the peasants to peacefully gather to demand their rights. This is a direct violation of their constitutional right to freely assemble. Hundreds of policemen, including plain-clothed police officers, continue to harass the protesters and constantly force them to go back to their provinces.
We hope that your attention to this matter will help bring an end to the current injustice and disregard for human rights, and place more pressure on the Vietnamese government to respect the rights of its own citizens.
Sincerely,
Vietnamese American Youth
