November 20, 2007
President Nguyen Minh Triet
Embassy of Vietnam
1233 20th Street, NW, Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20036
Dear President Triet:
I am writing in regards to the detainment of members and supporters of the Viet Tan Party, and several other individuals associated with this organization by Vietnamese security forces in Saigon this past weekend. This matter is particularly troublesome considering some of the individuals are United States citizens. Further, it is my understanding that the embassies of the non-Vietnamese citizens have yet to gain access to them and are therefore unable to assess their location and condition.
The names of the detained individuals are as follows:
• Dr. Nguyen, Quoc Quan: Citizen of the United States
• Mr. Truong, Leon (Van Ba): Citizen of the United States
• Ms. Nguyen, Thanh Van: Citizen of France
• Mr. Nguyen, The Vu: Citizen of Vietnam
• Mr. Nguyen, The Khiem: Citizen of Vietnam
• Mr. Khunmi, Somsak: Citizen of Thailand
These individuals have only participated in discussions to promote peaceful democratic change. Their activities center on the principles of nonviolence and their detention is therefore unacceptable.
The United States and Vietnam have done much to bolster our relationship over the past several years. However, if this relationship is to continue to grow, Vietnam must respect the human rights of its citizens. This includes allowing for the peaceful congregation of individuals and the expression of ideas.
I strongly urge your government to grant the United States, French, and Thai embassies immediate access to the above mentioned individuals as a first step in their release. Thank you for your attention to this matter and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
EDWARD R. ROYCE