Statement on the occasion of the visit of P.M. Nguyen Tan Dung to the U.S.

June 19, 2008

On the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the U.S., we, representatives of a number of Vietnamese political parties, would like to state the following aimed at public opinion in Vietnam, in the U.S. and in the world:

1. The current Vietnamese government headed by Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, being appointed by the Communist Party of Vietnam, does not represent the true voice and interests of the vast majority of the Vietnamese people since it is not a government voted into power through free and fair elections. The legitimacy of a government, which guarantees its long-term stability, must be based on the true aspirations and interests of the Vietnamese people and not on the private interests of a monopolistic Communist party.

2. Due to the current Vietnamese government’s illegitimacy, the people of Vietnam are fully entitled to reject the border and territorial waters agreements signed between Hanoi and the Chinese government should it be found that these agreements violate the honor, sovereignty and interests of the Vietnamese people. We therefore vehemently object to all plots and actions on the part of Beijing to turn Vietnamese territorial waters and islands into permanent Chinese possessions.

3. The current situation of inflation and difficulties encountered by the Vietnamese economy is but the obvious consequence of a government structure not based on democratic principles and lacking in transparency; it is also the result of a non-stable development policy dependent on the special privileges and interests of a tiny minority. It is this structure and policies which are at the root of the social inequity and instability observed in Vietnam, made egregious by an extremely serious condition of cultural and educational regression, which negatively impact the security, freedom and happiness of the vast majority of the Vietnamese people while affecting also the security and stability of the region.

4. We are therefore in full support of the moderate and non-violent activities carried out by the people ofVietnam—from the peasants to the workers, students and youths, intellectuals, writers and artists, as well as journalists—who increasingly clamor for freedom and justice, and protest the dictatorial and corrupt practices of the current government. We vehemently condemn the current Vietnamese government for its repression of dissident voices from among the people of Vietnam, most particularly religious and labor leaders; we also demand that the Vietnamese authorities release at once all those who have committed no crime other than asking that the fundamental rights of the people be respected.

5. We are convinced that Vietnam can be stable and developed on a sustained basis only when the people ofVietnam have their fundamental rights restored to them, and only when it has a government voted into power and dismissible through free and fair elections, that is truly responsive to the aspirations of the Vietnamese people. We therefore appeal to the government of the United States and to other democratic governments in the world to do their utmost in order to help restore democracy to the Vietnamese people, so that their human and civil rights can be truly respected, allowing Vietnam to develop in a stable environment and in a long-term perspective.

Written overseas on this 19th day of June, 2008

VIETNAMESE POLITICAL PARTIES SUBSCRIBING TO THIS STATEMENT

1. Dai Viet Revolutionary Party (Nguyen Van Lung, Vice Chairman)
2. Dai Viet Nationalist Party (Phan Van Song, Chairman)
3. The People’s Democratic Party (Do, Thanh Cong – Spokesperson)
4. New Dai Viet Party (Nguyen Ngoc Sang, Chairman)
5. Vietnam Progression Party (Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Representative)
6. Vietnam Populist Party (Nguyen Cong Bang, Representative)
7. Alliance for Democracy in Vietnam (Nguyen Quoc Nam, Chairman of the Executive Committee)
8. National Congress of Vietnamese Americans (Nguyen Ngoc Bich, Chairman)
9. Vietnam Restoration Party (Tran Quoc Bao, Chairman)
10. Vietnam Reform Party (Do Hoang Diem, Chairman)
11. Vietnam National Party (Tran Tu Thanh, Chairman, Overseas Coordinating Council)