California group says movement for democracy is gaining traction there.
By DEEPA BHARATH
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
GARDEN GROVE – The movement for democracy in Vietnam is gaining momentum in the homeland as well as among Vietnamese communities all over the world, a local activist said Sunday.
Diem Do, chairman of the Vietnam Reform Party established in 1982 with the goal of securing democracy for Vietnam, spoke to local Vietnamese media and members of his community during a conference Sunday afternoon at the Anaheim Marriott Suites hotel in Garden Grove. In the audience were visitors from all over the United States as well as France and Australia.
Do said the time is ripe for his party’s activists to educate the Vietnamese people about democracy and human rights.
“In Vietnam, the situation has rapidly changed especially over the last 18 months,” he said.
“People are getting bolder about speaking out against the government. Vietnamese Embassy officials in Washington, D.C., could not be reached for comment last week.
This year, at least two Vietnamese-American activists who work for dissident groups have been held and later released by the Vietnamese government. Last week, Cong Thanh Do , a San Jose engineer, was released after being arrested on terrorism charges and held in Vietnam for 38 days.
In August, Chanh Nguyen of Garden Grove, the founder of pro-democracy group Government of Free Vietnam, was released by the Seoul High Court in August after spending four months in a South Korean prison, where he was held for the Vietnamese government on terrorism charges.
These are all victories for the pro-democracy movement, Diem Do said. Some of the groups even work together because they share a common purpose, he said. The means to the end, at least for the Vietnam Reform Party, is nonviolent, Do said. The group’s operatives in Vietnam still face intimidation and harassment from the government, he said.
Giang Nguyen of Santa Ana, who attends college in Chicago, said she experienced the harassment firsthand during her monthlong trip to Vietnam in the summer.
“The police wanted to keep track of where I went, who I met and what I did,” she said.
Nguyen said she observed more people speaking out in public against their government.
“But they’re afraid to act on it,” she said.
Sofie Bui of Canberra, Australia, said the issue is still important for Vietnamese people all over the world.
“Whether you live in France or America or Australia, that connection still exists,” she said.
“My parents still remember what they went through and they remind me about it every day to make sure I don’t forget.”
