Honoring Army Specialist Monica L. Brown, extending gratitude to her and her family, and pledging continuing support for the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Vietnam has long been known as a major violator of human rights. The U.S. House of Representatives went on record in the 109th Congress condemning and deploring the violations of human rights in Vietnam and strongly urging the Vietnamese Government to consider the implications of its human rights abuses for the broader relationship between the United States and Vietnam. I point out parenthetically that the House almost a year ago to the day passed a resolution that I sponsored similar to this one, H. Con. Res. 320, on April 6, 2006. There was some initial improvement. Regrettably, there has been a snapback to its original and even worsened situation when it comes to human rights observance. That is why I have sponsored H. Res. 243--calling on Vietnam to immediately and unconditionally release Fr. Ly, Mr. Dai, Mrs. Whan and other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Department of State in its ``Country Reports on Human Rights Practices'' notes that the human rights record in Vietnam remains ``unsatisfactory,'' and that government officials continued ``to commit serious abuses.'' The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom stated in its 2006 annual report that Vietnam ``continues to commit systematic and egregious violations of freedom of religion and belief.''

However, in November 2006, pursuant to a boatload of assurances and solemn promises that the human rights situation would improve dramatically, Vietnam became the first country to be removed from the list of Countries of Particular Concern, so designated pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act. Late last year, the U.S. Congress agreed to Vietnam becoming an official member of the World Trade Organization, and a group of Asian countries at the United Nations has nominated Vietnam as the sole regional candidate for a nonpermanent seat on the U.S. Security Council.

Despite this flurry of international recognition and tangible economic benefit, despite the hopes of many, including and especially the Vietnamese people, Vietnam has reverted to its repressive practices and has arrested, imprisoned, and imposed lengthy prison sentences on numerous individuals whose only crime has been to seek democratic reform and respect for fundamental human rights in their country.

The crackdown in Vietnam, Mr. Speaker, on religious and human rights activists is unconscionable and of course it is unnecessary. I have been to Vietnam, Mr. Speaker, on many human rights trips, and chaired several hearings on it as well. But on one of the most recent trips, I actually met with Father Nguyen Van Ly who recently got 8 years in prison; I also met with Nguyen Van Dai and about 60 other human rights activists and religious leaders and people who are pressing for reform in that country.

I was struck by how smart, talented, and kindhearted these people were. I believe they are Vietnam's best and brightest and bravest. I was amazed how they harbor no malice, no hate towards the government; nor do they hate the government leaders. They only want a better future for their country, and each and every one of the people I met with was committed, and is committed, to peaceful nonviolent reform.

But just one month ago, on March 30, the government sentenced Father Ly to 8 years imprisonment after subjecting him to a sham trial for distributing ``antigovernment materials.''

When I met with Father Ly he was under house arrest, he sounded just like the activists I had met and spoke to during the dark years of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. During those years of domination by communism, men like Vaclav Havel, Lech Walesa, and Anatoly Shcharansky--people who, like the folks in Charter 77 in the Czech Republic--only wanted freedom, democracy, and human rights. None of them wanted violence, and yet we see that men like Father Ly now get 8 years imprisonment on top of the 13 years he has previously served in the Gulag on trumped-up charges. Jailing dissidents is a window into the malice and evil of the government of Vietnam.

As I mentioned, attorney, Nguyen Van Dai, a tenacious campaigner for human rights who uses the law, international and domestic, to press his cause, nonviolently--he's totally nonviolent, hates violence, abhors it, stands up and tries to use the law to try to get remedies for his clients. He, too, is now awaiting a trial which will be another kangaroo court and a sham deal at that.

Another human rights lawyer, Le Thi Cong Nhan, is a labor activist. And according to reports, she too now will undergo another one of these bogus trials.

We know that Vietnam, due to our robust trade and recently enacted PNTR and their ascension into the WTO, we know that trade will increase between the United States and Vietnam. So when this lawyer seeks to be an activist for what the ILO and all of us in this room believe to be fundamental freedoms like collective bargaining, the secret police raids her office and drags her away. She is now awaiting another one of these kangaroo trials.

Another victim of the crackdown is Le Quoc Quan. Here's a person who just returned to Vietnam in early March after completing a fellowship right here in Washington at the National Endowment for Democracy. He was arrested on March 8, apparently for the crime of engaging in research on civil society development at NED. And all of us who know NED know what a great, completely transparent and human rights rule of law oriented organization NED is, a group funded, by this Congress and by the executive branch. It's a great organization. Quam goes back to victim and is basically arrested soon after his arrival and now he is awaiting a trial as well.

Mr. Speaker, a little over a year ago, a group called Block 8406 devised a statement of human rights principles. It reminds me of Charter 77. Brave men and women banded together united by a statement of principles, human rights concerns. We've seen such expressions in Cuba, we've seen it all over the world in despotic countries. These brave men and women sign on the dotted line, in a way not unlike our own forefathers who signed the Declaration of Independence. In Vietnam's case, they are pertaning for reforms. And openness. And I have read it. It is very, very simple and eloquent and to the point. It's all about human rights and democratization. And for being part of 8406, other activists are now being caught in this dragnet.

I would note parenthetically, Father Ly was also a signer of this Block 8406 a manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam. The 8406 stands for April 8, 2006. That's when they founded this courageous organization.

H. Res. 243, the resolution before us, Mr. Speaker, is intended to send a critical and timely message to the Vietnamese government that these serious violations of basic human rights are absolutely unacceptable and bring profound dishonor on the government of Vietnam.

These human rights violations cannot be overlooked. They cannot be trivialized. These human rights violations which are ongoing, and they occur as we meet here today, cannot continue without equally serious consequences. It also urges our Government to make human rights a top priority in our bilateral relations with Vietnam. I do believe this recent snap back to human rights abuse underscores the unwitting naivete on the part of some who think if we just trade, if we just open our pocket books, dictatorships will automatically matriculate into democracies and freedom loving human rights respecting countries. It hasn't happened anywhere. Not in the PRC, it has not happened in Vietnam and it is not happening anywhere where that naive view is embraced.

So we've got to send some clear messages. Human rights do matter. And we will stand up for those who are mistreated. We will stand with the oppressed and not with the oppressor.

Finally, I've heard it from informed and very reliable sources that some of the recent jailees, the human rights activists that are now behind bars suffering torture and mistreatment, that they are being told that the United States really doesn't care about them; that we've walked away. I have heard this on a couple of occasions from people who have very good inside information. They are actually being taunted with that kind of mantra.

I want to tell the presecuted--you are not forgotten. It's a bipartisan expression today, you are no forgotten. We care deeply about these human rights activists and we will not forget you. And we will do all that is humanly possible, God willing, to effectuate your release and hopefully, some day, see a free and democratic Vietnam.

At this point in the Record, I would like to include 8406--manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Human Rights.

Manifesto 2006 on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam by 118 Democracy

Activists Inside Vietnam--April 8, 2006

Dear Compatriots Inside and Outside of Vietnam: We, the

undersigned, representing hundreds of Vietnamese democracy

activists inside Vietnam and all those Vietnamese citizens

yearning for True Democracy for Vietnam, hereby unanimously

proclaim the following:

I. The Current Realities of Vietnam

1. In the August 1945 Revolution, the entire Vietnamese

nation made a choice for national independence and not

socialism. Vietnam's Declaration of Independence on September

2, 1945 did not contain a single word about socialism or

communism. The two mainsprings behind the success of that

Revolution were the Vietnamese people's aspiration for

national independence and also the desire to fill the power

vacuum that existed after the Japanese surrender on August

15, 1945, following their overthrow of the French colonial

administration on March 9, 1945.

It is thus clear that the Vietnamese communists had

abandoned the main objective of the August Revolution. As a

result, the Vietnamese peoples' aspiration for self-

determination was disregarded. There have been two occasions,

one in 1954 in North Vietnam and the other in 1975 in all of

Vietnam, when there were good opportunities for the

Vietnamese nation to set a new course towards a true

democracy. Sadly, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV),

failed to take advantage of those opportunities. This failure

is due to the well-known fact, as propounded by Lenin, that

once a dictatorship of the proletariat has been installed,

its very first function is to foster violence and repressive

terror!

2. On September 2, 1945 in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, President of

the Interim Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam,

solemnly declared to the [Vietnamese] nation and the world

that: ``All men are created equal, endowed by their Creator

with certain inalienable Rights, among them the Right to

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,'' undying words

taken from the U.S. Declaration of Independence of 1776.

Interpreted broadly, this sentence can mean that all nations

are created equal and that they are entitled to Life, Freedom

and Happiness. The 1791 French Declaration on Human and Civil

Rights also proclaims: ``All people are born free and have

equal rights, and they must remain free and equal in all

rights.'' These are undeniable truths . . .'' (This quote is

taken directly from the September 2, 1945 Vietnamese

Declaration of Independence).

Nevertheless, the communist government of Vietnam began to

trample upon these sacred rights the moment they came to

power.

3. By February 1951, the Vietnam Workers Party (VWP, now

rechristened the CPV) proclaimed in a Manifesto at its Second

Party Congress that: ``The ideology of the VWP is Marxism-

Leninism.'' This was something that was even more clearly

expressed in the Party Bylaws, under the rubric of ``Goal and

Leading Principles'': ``The Vietnam Workers Party takes the

ideology of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin and the thought of Mao

Zedong in combination with the revolutionary realities of

Vietnam to be its ideological foundation and compass for all

Party activities.

Since then, especially in the North after 1954, and in the

entire country after April 30, 1975, the specter of Communism

has been imposed on the Vietnamese nation. For all practical

purposes, this specter has been used to deprive the

Vietnamese people of all their human rights. And even today,

its overwhelming influence is evident in the spiritual as

well as the material spheres of the Vietnamese nation.

II. Universal Laws Affecting All Societies

1. History has demonstrated that under every totalitarian

regime, whether communist or non-communist, all democratic

rights and freedoms are mercilessly repressed, the difference

being only in the degree of repression. Unfortunately, to

this day the Vietnamese nation is still one of the few that

is under the rule of a totalitarian communist regime. This

fact is unabashedly declared in Article 4 of the Socialist

Republic of Vietnam (SRV) Constitution, which says: ``The

CPV. . . follows Marxism-Leninism and the thought of Ho Chi

Minh, and it is the leading force of the state and society.''

It is on the basis of this article that democratic rights and

freedoms of the Vietnamese people have been extremely

curtailed.

2. The power structure in Vietnam rejects competition and

totally minimizes the possibility of its replacement by

something else. This record has helped accelerate the

degeneration of government, and its transformation from what

it started out to be. Because there are no rules and

principles regarding fair competition in the current

political culture of the country, election after election,

people have not been allowed to choose the most deserving

individuals and political parties to represent them. For that

reason the leadership, management and operational set-ups

become ever more corrupt, and can now be compared to a creaky

piece of equipment from the center down to the localities. As

a result, Vietnam is now a nation that has fallen way behind

other nations in the region and in the world. In the

prevailing environment, this shameful national performance

and other nation-wide problems are beyond correction. The

problem of all problems, the source of all evils, resides in

the fact that the CPV is now the one and only political force

leading Vietnam! The realities of history have shown that

any country, once it has fallen into the orbit of

Communism, ends up in ruin and misery. The Soviet Union

itself, the very cradle of world communism, has, together

with other former Eastern European countries valiantly

overcome its own weaknesses to rediscover the correct path

leading them forward.

3. We all understand that no one can remake history, but it

is possible to redirect its course. What is even more

important is that through history's lessons, one can find the

correct orientation for the nation's future. The path chosen

by the CPV for the Vietnamese nation was designed in haste,

and

thoughtlessly imposed. That is why today, it is necessary to

choose once again a new path for our nation. And a path

chosen by the entire nation must necessarily be better than

the one chosen by just one person or one group of persons.

Given that the CPV is, after all, only one component of the

nation, it should not claim to speak on behalf of the entire

nation! Considering that for almost half a century, from 1954

to 2006, the ruling party in Vietnam has usurped the voice of

the nation, it is by no means a legitimate government! Why?

Because there had simply not been a single free election

during all that time in Vietnam.

On the basis of the above realities and the stated

universal laws, being fully conscious of our responsibilities

as citizens, and faced with the nation's fate, we would like

to declare the following to our compatriots both inside and

outside of Vietnam:

III. Objective, Methods and Significance of Our Struggle

1. The highest objective in the struggle to fight for

freedom and democracy for the Vietnamese nation today is to

make sure that the present political regime in Vietnam is

changed in a fundamental way, not through incremental

``renovation'' steps or, even worse, through insignificant

touch-ups here and there. Concretely speaking, it must be a

change from the monolithic, one-party, non-competitive regime

that we have at the present time to a pluralistic and

multiparty system; one in which there is healthy competition,

in accordance with the legitimate requirements of the nation,

including at least a clear separation of powers among the

Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government.

This would be in tune with international criteria and the

experiences and lessons Mankind has learned from highly

respected and successful democracies.

The concrete objective is to re-establish the following

fundamental rights of the people:

The Freedom of Information and Opinion as defined in the

United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights, ratified on December 16, 1966, and endorsed by

Vietnam on September 24, 1982, Article 19.2: ``Everyone

shall have the right to freedom of opinion; this right

shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart

information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of

frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the

form of art, or through any other media of his choice.''

This means that political parties, organizations and

individuals all have the freedom to express their opinions

through the printed media, radio, television and any other

mass media without having to wait for prior approval by

the government.

The Freedom to Assemble, form Associations, Political

Parties, Vote and Stand for Elected Offices as defined in the

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article

25: ``Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity

(a) to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly

or through freely chosen representatives; (b) to vote and to

be elected in genuine periodic elections which shall be by

universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret

ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the

electors.'' This means that political parties of every

orientation are allowed to fairly compete in a genuine

pluralistic and multiparty democracy.

The Freedom to participate in Independent Labor Unions and

the Right to Legitimate Strikes in accordance with the

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural

Rights ratified by the United Nations on December 16, 1966,

Articles 7 and 8: ``The States Parties to the present

Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of

just and favorable conditions of work . . ., the right of

everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his

choice, subject only to the rules of the organization

concerned, for the promotion and protection of his economic

and social interests . . . [including] the right to strike .

. .'' These Labor Unions must be independent of, and in

practice, not subservient to the state.

The Freedom of Religion as defined in the International

Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18:

``Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought,

conscience and religion. This right shall include the freedom

to have or adopt a Religion or Belief of his choice, and the

freedom, either individually or in community with others and

in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in

worship, observance, practice and teaching.'' These religions

must also operate independently; they cannot be made the

instruments of the state.

2. The method of this struggle must be peaceful and non-

violent. The Vietnamese nation must itself be actively

engaged in it. Of course, we are extremely thankful for the

warm and ever more effective support of all our friends in

the world. Using modern information media and through ever

larger international exchanges, we will seek in every way to

help our compatriot to fully understand the issues involved.

Once this has been achieved, they surely will know how to act

appropriately and effectively.

3. This struggle is meant to make the Right Cause triumph

over the Bad Cause, and, Progress over Backwardness. There

are popular movements that are currently trying to use the

laws of life and the tendencies of our time in order to

defeat those evil forces that are trying to go against these

tendencies and laws. Whether the CPV marches hand-in-hand

with the Nation or not will depend on whether it is

objective, fair, enlightened and modest enough to accept the

principle of equality in a fair competition. The one-party

political regime must be once and for all buried in the

dustbin of history. From such a departing point, the

Vietnamese nation will be able to find its best citizens and

the most capable political organizations after each election

to lead it. The ``total triumph of the right cause''

principle will be established, and one's individual life will

become better, our society more humane, and our Compatriots

will live together on more friendly terms.

We hope that this Manifesto would foster the positive

contributions of our compatriots living outside of Vietnam

and the support of our international friends. We are

sincerely grateful and call on the United Nations, national

parliaments, governments, international organizations and our

friends all over the world to continue supporting

enthusiastically and effectively this fully legitimate

struggle. This will soon help bring our Fatherland, Vietnam,

to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with civilized, moral,

prosperous and free countries in today's community of

Mankind--Unanimously declared in Vietnam on 8 April 2006.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan An, Hue; Teacher Dang Van Anh, Hue; Prof.

Nguyen Kim Anh, Hue; Writer Trinh Canh, Vung Tau; Teacher Le

Can, Hue; Teacher Tran Thi Minh Cam, Hue; Teacher Nguyen Thi

Linh Chi, Can Tho; Teacher Nguyen Viet Cu, Quang Ngai; Writer

Nguyen Dac Cuong, Phan Thiet; Teacher Tran Doan, Quang Ngai;

Teacher Ho Anh Dung, Hue; Dr. Ha Xuan Duong, Hue; Attorney

Nguyen Van Dai, Hanoi; Dr. Ho Dong, Vinh Long; Businessman

Tran Van Ha, Da Nang; Dr. Le Thi Ngan Ha, Hue; (Mrs.) Vu Thuy

Ha, Hanoi; Teacher Tran Thach Hai, Haiphong; Teacher Dang

Hoai Anh, Hue; Dr. Le Hoai Anh, Nha Trang.

Prof. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Da Namg; Rev. F.X. Le Van Cao, Hue;

Rev. Giuse Hoang Can, Hue; Rev. Giuse Nguyen Van Chanh, Hue;

Prof. Hoang Minh Chinh, Hanoi; Dang Quoc Cuong, MA, Hue;

Businessman Ho Ngoc Diep, Da Nang; Ms. Le Thi Phu Dung,

Saigon; Prof. Truong Quang Dung, Hue; Ex-Col. Pham Que Duong,

Hanoi; Kt (Architect?) Tran Van Don, Phan Thiet; Rev. Phero

Nguyen Huu Giai, Hue; Teacher Le Thi Bich Ha, Can Tho;

Teacher Le Nguyen Xuan Ha, Hue; Eng. Do Nam Hai, Saigon; Kt

(Architect?) Tran Viet Hai, Vung Tau; Eng. Doan Thi Dieu

Hanh, Vung Tau; Teacher Phan Thi Minh Hanh, Hue; Writer

Tran Hao, Vung Tau; Teacher Le Le Hang, Hue.

Nurse Che Minh Hoang, Nha Trang; Teacher Le Thu Minh Hung,

Saigon; Rev. Gk Nguyen Van Hung, Hue; Teacher Le Thi Thanh

Huyenh, Hue; Mai Thu Huong, MA, Haiphong; Candidate Nguyen

Ngoc Ke, Hue; Nguyen Quoc Khanh, MA, Hue; Prof. Tran Khue,

Saigon; Writer Bui Lang, Phan Thiet; Mr. Le Quang Liem, Head,

Traditional Hoa Hao Buddhist'' Church, Saigon; Rev. G.B.

Nguyen Cao Loc, Hue; Teacher Ma Van Luu, Haiphong; Rev. Tadeo

Nguyen Van Ly, Hue; Teacher Cao Thi Xuan Mai, Hue; Writer Ha

Van Mau, Can Tho; Writer Le Thi Thu Minh, Can Tho; Teacher

Nguyen Anh Minh, Saigon; (Mrs.) Bui Kim Ngan, Hanoi; Rev.

G.B. Le Van Nghiem, Hue; Rev. Dominic Phan Phuoc, Hue.

Rev. Giuse Cai Hong Phuong, Hue; Eng. Ta Minh Quan, Can

Tho; Rev. Giuse Tran Van Quy, Hue; Dr. Tran Thi Sen, Nha

Trang; Eng. Hoang Son, Haiphong; Prof. Nguyen Anh Tai, Da

Nang; Dr. Ta Minh Tam, Can Tho; Pastor Pham Ngoc Thach,

Saigon; Teacher Van Ba Thanh, Hue; Tran Manh Thu, MA,

Haiphong; Writer Hoang Tien, Hanoi; Rev. Tephano Chan Tin,

Saigon; Writer Ton Nu Minh Trang, Phan Thiet; Dr. Nguyen Anh

Tu, Da Nang; Teacher Le Tri Tue, Haiphong; Businesswoman

Nguyen Thi Hanh, DaNang; Prof. Dang Minh Hao, Hue; Writer

Tran Manh Hao, Saigon; Rev. Giuse Nguyen Duc Hieu, Bac

Ninh; Teacher Van Dinh Hoang, Hue.

Prof. Nguyen Minh Hung, Hue; Teacher Phan Ngoc Huy, Hue;

Teacher Do Thi Minh Huong, Hue; Nurse Tran Thu Huong, Da

Nang; Prof. Nguyen Chinh Ket, Saigon; Teacher Nguyen Dang

Khoa, Hue; Ex-Major Vu Kinh, Hanoi; Teacher Ton That Hoang

Lan, Saigon; Dr. Vu Thi Hoa Linh, Saigon; Rev. Phero Phan Van

Loi, Hue; Teacher Nguyen Van Ly, Haiphong; Teacher Cai Thi

Mai, Haiphong; Teacher Nguyen Van Mai, Saigon; Teacher Phan

Van Mau, Hue; Teacher Ma Van Minh, Hue; Dr. Huyen Ton Nu

Phuong Nhien, Da Nang; Dang Hoai Ngan, MA, Hue; Teacher Le

Hong Phuc, Haiphong; Eng. Vo Lam Phuoc, Saigon; Pastor Nguyen

Hong Quang, Saigon.

Rev. Augustino Ho Van Quy, Hue; Dr. Vo Van Quyen, Vinh

Long; Hoa Hao Lay preacher Le Van Soc, Vinh Long; Rev. Phao

Lo Ngo Thanh Son, Hue; Eng. Do Hong Tam, Haiphong; Prof.

Nguyen Thanh Tam, Hue; Teacher Nguyen binh Thanh, Hue; Hoa

Hao Lay preacher Nguyen Van Tho, Dong Thap; Prof. Dr. Tran

Hong Thu, Saigon; Ex-Officer Tran Dung Tien, Hanoi; Teacher

Nguyen Khac Toan, Hanoi; Teacher Che Thi Hong Trinh, Hue; Dr.

Doan Minh Tuan, Saigon; Nurse Tran Thi Hoai Van, Nha,Trang;

Teacher Ngo Thi Tuong Vi, Quang Ngai; Ho Ngoc Vinh, MA, Da

Nang; Teacher Nguyen Le Xuan Vinh, Can Tho; Eng. Lam Dinh

Vinh, Saigon.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) who

has been a leader on global human rights for 27 years, and that especially relates to Vietnam.

Mr. Speaker, I just yield myself 2 final minutes to close.

First of all, let me thank Mr. Wolf, Chairman Wolf for his very eloquent and passionate statement. And I think by injecting China into this debate as well, there is a modus operandi by both of those countries to talk a good game about human rights while doing absolutely nothing, as a matter of fact, by doing just the opposite. It is doublespeak. It is Orwellian, and unfortunately, it is what is happening on the ground today.

Let me also say that when I visited dissidents, several of whom were under house arrest in Ho Chi Min City, Hue and Hanoi, I was struck by the heart breaking vulnerability of those individuals and their families, because the secret police don't just go after the individual. They target their families, their kids, their brothers their sisters- in-law, their nephews and nieces. It is widespread. The bullies inflict maximum, they being the communist regime, maximum pain on the individual and his or her family.

I'll give you an example of just how it works. One of the individuals who downloaded ``What is Democracy'' from the Internet, which was on the U.S. embassy Web site, translated and then resent it out, got 5 years in prison. He was recently let out. But his wife Vu, who I met in a Hanoi restaurant with at least three bully boys sitting about 5-10 feet away taking her picture, from the secret police, told me again and again how fearful she was that she would be targeted--and hit. She rides a motor bike; she feared that they would run her down. Modus operandi, again, of the secret police.

Sure enough, just a few weeks ago, she was hit on the road by the police. Would you say that was an accident? If you think that is an accident, I will sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.

Mr. Speaker, human rights abuse is getting worse in Vietnam. It is widespread. It is pervasive. And it has got to be stopped. We need to speak out with one voice. The administration needs to speak out with one voice.

This resolution has a number of action clauses in it. I hope it is taken seriously both in Hanoi as well as down at Foggy Bottom.

We need to help those suffering individuals. We are their last best hope. Let's work for them because they deserve our--and Vietnam's-- respect and protection.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Smith, and for Mr. Smith's faithfulness to be over here.

This institution is frankly changing. It is changing before our eyes. This institution, on both sides of the aisle, almost doesn't seem to care anymore on these issues of fundamental human rights. This institution needs a little bit of Ronald Reagan.

Many of you voted to give this government PNTR. Read the letter. The conditions have changed dramatically. They're worse today than when you gave them PNTR. And yet this place is almost empty. Nobody seems to care anymore.

Father Ly is in jail. The American Ambassador ought to be fired. This administration has done a horrible job.

Let me just read some of the things that have gone on since we gave them PNTR and the President went over there. February 18, 2007, the second day of Lunar, Father Ly was banished to a remote secluded area. Does the Congress care? Does the administration care?

March 5, 2007, security forces in Saigon told Mrs. Bui Ngoc Yen that they had an order to arrest her husband.

March 8, 2007, Reverend Nguyen Cong Chinch were brutally assaulted by the security forces.

March 8, 2007, two prominent human rights activists and lawyers, Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan were arrested in Hanoi, told they would be detained for 4 months.

March 9, 2007 Mr. Tran Van Hoa, a member of the People's Democracy Committee, summoned by the security forces and threatened with ``immeasurable consequences,'' that's in quotes.

March 10, 2007, Do Nam Hai, an engineer writing under the pen name Phuong Nam, one of the leading members of the Alliance for Democracy told by security forces he could be indicted any time.

March 10, the same day, state security forces raided the home of Ms. Tran Khai Thanh, a writer.

March 12, 2007, do you get a pattern here? Can anyone see a pattern sort of developing here?

The Congress gave them MFN. Probably a majority on both sides gave them MFN. But do you see a pattern here?

March 10, state security forces.

March 12, lawyer Le Quoc Quan, a consultant on local government for the World Bank was arrested in his hometown.

April 5, 2007 the Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi rudely prevented Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, from your side of the aisle, from meeting with several dissidents' wives at a gathering organized at the Ambassador's house.

Now this Ambassador, frankly, and Mr. Lantos, and we have a bill that's coming up, this Ambassador has failed to turn the American Embassy into an island of freedom. During the days of Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest presidents we have ever had, not only in modern times, but in all times, turned the American Embassy in Moscow into an island of freedom that dissidents felt comfortable coming, and they were invited.

This Ambassador is just the opposite. He's silent. Dr. Martin Luther King said silence is the real danger. You expect the silence of your enemies, but you don't expect the silence of our friends.

Furthermore, the Hanoi government still has a large number of dissidents that are in jail.

Lastly, and I'm going to read a letter that I'm going to put in the Record that we sent to Secretary Rice the other day. The Vietnamese American community, a young but energetic group comprised of more than 1 million citizens, should be included in future dialogues with U.S. government officials. They know the history, the culture and the values of Vietnam. They also scrutinize the history and the tactics of communism and the Communist government's habits at the negotiating table.

I sincerely believe that the history of Vietnam must inform our approach to this and all other aspects of foreign policy. And the Vietnamese American community is a tremendous asset in this regard. Quite frankly, this administration, when Ambassador Marine leaves, ought to put a Vietnamese American in who understands these issues. So I'm going to submit this in the Record.

But these are important issues. This Congress just can't give these people human rights. And frankly, there is a whole shift taking place. I saw the other day, and if I'm wrong, I'll correct it for the record, that Steven Spielberg is now representing the Chinese government for the Olympics. One of Spielberg's greatest movies was the movie that he did with regard to what took place by Nazi Germany, Schindler's List.

Well, now there's a Schindler's list operation going on in China. There are 42 Catholic bishops that are in jail with China, with priests. And for those who might think it might be amusing, China is the one that's trying to do nothing with regard to the genocide in Darfur. 400,000 people have died. The head of China goes to Khartoum 2 months ago with a bold announcement. The announcement is they are going to build a new palace for the Sudanese that are bringing about genocide. Genocide in Darfur.

There are 46,000 house church leaders, leaders, committed leaders, house church leaders that are in jail in China today. In Tibet, it's against the law to have a picture of the Dalai Lama, and the Chinese public security police sent three public security police to my district spying on Rebiya Kadeer. If you read the Washington Post editorial last week, spying on Rebiya Kadeer in Fairfax County. Her three kids have been arrested. She's a Muslim. Her three kids have been arrested. So I just see, and I want to thank Mr. Smith for doing this, but frankly, for the Congress just to grant MFN to this fundamentally evil government, and for us to just sort of move on and just kind of not care anymore, it just is really troubling. When we fail to speak out for the least, we fundamentally fail to speak out for everyone. And so let me just say, I didn't know this was coming up, and I just caught it and came over here. I want to thank Mr. Smith for his faithfulness in being involved. And frankly, any Member that voted to give these guys PNTR, on both sides of the aisle, man, you've got a great responsibility now to really do something on these people. These are dissidents that are in jail. They are being suffered.

And frankly, I end by saying we ought to do more the way that Ronald Reagan did in the 1980s. Speak out on human rights, religious freedom and those values. And with that, you ought to call a role call vote on this because, frankly, this government is so dense that if they see a voice vote they won't even think it it's important. There ought to be a roll call vote so we can send a message on behalf of Father Ly, a Catholic bishop, a Catholic priest who's done nothing, and all these other people. And frankly, this ambassador ought to be shown the door. And we ought to put somebody in who represents the values of this country. Quite frankly, it ought to be a Vietnamese American who can go over there and advocate on behalf of those who are being persecuted.

Dear Secretary Rice: I am writing to express my deep

concern regarding the worsening human rights situation in

Vietnam in recent months. After joining the World Trade

Organization in January 2007, the politburo of the Vietnamese

Communist Party (VCP) has carried out a large-scale brutal

campaign of arrest against the nascent movement for democracy

in Vietnam. Ignoring all international criticism and

strenuous protests of the Vietnamese people, inside Vietnam

and abroad, the communist regime in Hanoi has shamefully

pushed ahead with its crackdown. The following events were

particularly disconcerting to me:

On February 18, 2007, the second day of the Lunar New Year,

which is the most sacred time in Vietnamese culture, the

communist security forces raided Father Nguyen Van Ly's

office within the Communal Residence of the Hue Archdiocese.

Father Ly was later banished to a remote, secluded area in

Hue.

On March 5, 2007, security forces in Saigon told Mrs. Bui

Ngoc Yen that they had an order to arrest her husband,

Professor Nguyen Chinh Kiet, who is a leading member of the

Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam. Professor

Kiet was in Europe at the time campaigning for democracy and

human rights in Vietnam.

On March 8, 2007, Reverend Nguyen Cong Chinch and his wife

were brutally assaulted by security forces of Gia Lai

Province in the Central Highlands, who then arrested Reverend

Chinch on undisclosed charges.

Also on March 8, 2007, two prominent human rights activists

and lawyers, Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan,

were arrested in Hanoi and were told that they would be

detained for four months as part of an undisclosed

investigation.

On March 9, 2007, Mr. Tran Van Hoa, a member of the

People's Democracy Party in Quang Ninh Province, and Mr. Pham

Van Troi, a member of the Committee for Human Rights in

Ha Tay, were summoned by security forces and threatened

with ``immeasurable consequences'' if they do not stop

their advocacy for human rights in Vietnam.

On March 10, 2007, Do Nam Hai, an engineer writing under

the pen name Phuong Nam and one of the leading members of the

Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam, was told

by security forces that he could be indicted at any time for

activity against the State.

Also on March 10, 2007, state security forces also raided

the home of Ms. Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, a writer, on the

grounds that she advocated for ``people with grievances''

against the government. They took away two computers, two

cell phones, and hundreds of appeals that she had prepared

for victims of the government's abuses.

March 12, 2007, lawyer Le Quoc Quan, a consultant on local

governance for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP,

and Swedish International Development Agency, was arrested in

his hometown, Nghe An, less than a week after he returned

from a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy in

Washington, D.C. His whereabouts are unknown at this time.

On April 5, 2007, the Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi

rudely prevented Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) from

meeting with several dissidents' wives at a gathering

organized at the U.S. Ambassador's home. The police

reportedly used very hostile and undignified manners to

intervene in the meeting.

Furthermore, the Hanoi communist regime is still

imprisoning many political dissidents and labor advocates

such as Nguyen Vu Binh, Huynh Nguyen Dao, Truong Quoc Huy,

Nguyen Hoang Long, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Doan Huy Chuong, the

religious leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam,

Cao Dai, Hoa Hoa, and more than 350 lay people of the

Protestant churches in the Central Highland.

The Vietnamese-Americans in my district, as well as all

across the country, are very angered and distressed by what

they perceive as a new and aggressive plan of the Hanoi

government to reverse the progress of human rights in

Vietnam. They believe that Ambassador Marine and his staff

are not doing enough to stop these blatant violations of

human rights.

It seems to me that the Vietnamese government is conducting

this crackdown on advocates of human rights and religious

freedom because it believes that the U.S. has no further

leverage in the region. Now that Vietnam has been admitted to

the WTO, and met with the Holy See, they believe they can

respond in this brutal fashion to supporters of democracy and

freedom and we will not respond.

I hope that you will make clear to the Vietnamese

authorities that we will not stand by while this violence and

intimidation continues. I believe the State Department should

consider putting Vietnam back on the list of Countries of

Particular Concern, and perhaps also consider canceling the

planned visit of the Vietnamese president and prime minister

later this year if the human rights situation in Vietnam has

not improved.

I appreciate the recent comments by Sean McCormack at Voice

of America expressing deep concern about the March 30 trial

and sentencing of Father Ly. I ask that you continue pressing

these issues with the Vietnamese government, including the

need to respect the basic human rights of all Vietnamese

citizens, especially the freedom of information, freedom of

expression, and freedom of religion. The Vietnamese people

should be able to choose their own leaders through free and

fair elections and to use the Internet freely without any

censures or restrictions.

I also ask that you encourage the Vietnamese authorities to

release all political prisoners and religious leaders who are

currently imprisoned because of their peaceful expression of

their ideas or to fight for their religious beliefs. Among

these prisoners are Father Nguyen Van Ly, Pastors Nguyen Cong

Chinh and Hong Trung, lawyers Nguyen Van Dai, Le thi Cong

Nhan, Le Quoc Quan, Messiers Truong Quoc Huy, and Nguyen

Hoang Lon.

Lastly, I believe the Vietnamese-American community, a

young but energetic group comprised of more than one million

citizens, should be included in future dialogues with U.S.

government officials. They know the history, culture and

values of Vietnam. They also have scrutinized the history and

tactics of communism and the communist government's habits at

the negotiating table. I sincerely believe that the history

of Vietnam must inform our approach to this and all other

aspects of foreign policy, and the Vietnamese-American

community is a tremendous asset in this regard. I

respectfully request that you invite a small representation

of the Vietnamese-American community to join the U.S.

delegation in next month's human rights dialogue.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Wolf,

Member of Congress.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1692) to grant a Federal charter to Korean War Veterans Association, Incorporated.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I would now like to yield 1 minute to our distinguished majority leader, Mr. Steny Hoyer, the author of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I would like to now yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) who also desires to rise to thank the Korean War veterans.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Madam Speaker, let me rise in appreciation to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Mr. Conyers, and the ranking member, Mr. Smith, in working with the Senate and working with the staff on this very important initiative. And I would like to acknowledge both former Senator Sarbanes, Senator Cardin, and of course our very, very able and distinguished and dedicated Majority Leader Hoyer in collaboration with Congressman Sarbanes to have this legislation, S. 1692, move, which is to create the Korean War Veterans Association to become a Federally tax-exempt organization. It was a Federally tax-exempt corporation that was incorporated in the State of New York on June 25, 1985. And now this bill will grant a Federal charter to the Korean War Veterans Association.

The veterans association is an association of persons who have seen honorable service during the Korean War at any time between June 25, 1950 and January 31, 1955, both dates inclusive, and of certain other persons, the particular qualifications for membership to be set forth in the bylaws of the Korean War Veterans Association.

Over the years, the organization has established a strong record of service and commitment to fellow Korean War veterans ranging from the efforts on behalf of Project Freedom to a successful effort to construct a national Korean War veterans memorial on the National Mall.

I certainly personally want to thank my friend and colleague from Texas, Congressman Sam Johnson, who has never wavered from his commitment and dedication to the men and women of the United States military, to his love of Texas, and certainly to his particular love of those who served in the Korean War as he did, along with his service in the Vietnam War.

He made mention of our friends and colleagues, Congressman John Conyers and Congressman Charlie Rangel. So today we honor them as we honor many, many of those who served. The Korean War, often overlooked in American history, is anything but forgotten by the nearly 1.2 million American veterans of the Korean War still alive today. And during the 3-year course of the war, some 5.7 million Americans were called to serve.

And by the time the Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed in July 1953, more than 36,000 Americans sacrificed their lives, 103,284 were wounded, 7,140 were captured and 664 were missing. And so we know it was, in fact, a war that saw a painful time in American history but yet saw the valiant effort of our American soldiers.

American troops fought to protect our freedom as we know it today and paved the way for the United States to vanguard the movement for global democracy and liberty, a movement that afforded many countries the opportunity to shift to democratic regimes.

And so it is a special honor to me to able to stand today and join my colleagues, to be able to support this legislation, S. 1692. I would ask my colleagues to support this legislation and be reminded that no war should ever be forgotten. We stand here today to acknowledge that the Korean War is not forgotten, and as well, that we will have the opportunity to celebrate in the passing of this legislation.

With that, Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote for S. 1692.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S.1692, a bill to grant a Federal charter to the Korean War Veterans Association. This legislation honors the sacrifice and courage of our soldiers who served in the Korean War. My distinguished colleague from Maryland, Senator Benjamin L. Cardin and the Majority Leader Steny Hoyer seek to recognize the heroic deeds of Korean War veterans by granting the Korean War Veterans Association Incorporated a Federal Charter.

The Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA) is a federally-tax exempt organization that was incorporated in the State of New York on June 25, 1985. Its original founder was Mr. William T. Norris, of New York, a member of F Company, 27th Infantry Regiment (Wolfhounds), 25th Infantry Division, when he served as a sergeant in the Korean War.

This legislation provides an opportunity for each of us, regardless of political views, religion, ethnicity, gender, or background to come together, and to recognize and honor our nation's heroes. We gather here today, in the midst of ongoing conflict and warfare, honoring the dedication of our men and women in uniform. Though we may be divided by our positions on the war in Iraq, we stand together to support all of our veterans, highlighting in this particular legislation those who fought in the Korean War.

Our nation has a proud legacy of appreciation and commitment to the men and women who have worn the uniform in defense of this country. We must be united in seeing to it that every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine is welcomed back with all the care and compassion this grateful nation can bestow. S.1692 assists us in these endeavors by extending a small gesture of gratitude that grants a federal charter to an organization that promotes and maintains benevolent and charitable endeavors. The Korean War Veterans Association is an association of persons who have seen honorable service during the Korean War at any time between June 25, 1950 and 31 January 1955, both dates inclusive, and of certain other persons, the particular qualifications for membership to be set forth in the by-laws of the Korean War Veterans Association. Over the years, the organization has established a strong record of service and commitment to fellow Korean War veterans, ranging from efforts on behalf of Project Freedom to its successful effort to construct a national Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall.

The Korean War, often overlooked in American history, is anything but forgotten by the nearly 1.2 million American veterans of the Korean War still alive today. During the three year course of the war, some 5.7 million Americans were called to serve, and by the time the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in July 1953, more than 36,000 Americans sacrificed their lives, 103,284 were wounded, 7,140 were captured and 664 were missing.

American troops fought to protect our freedom as we know it today and paved the way for the United States to vanguard the movement for global democracy and liberty; a movement that afforded many countries the opportunity to shift to democratic regimes.

Sadly, all too many of our veterans are left without the help and support they need to transition from the horrors they bravely faced on the front lines of battle to a successful civilian life. According to the Veteran's Affairs Department, as of 2006, on any given night, 196,000 veterans of all ages were homeless. As we work to curb this formidable reality, let us demonstrate our support for the veterans of the Korean War by supporting this legislation. This should encourage us to continue to honor this nation's troops who are fighting and who have fought for the rights of all of us in places we do not dare to go, under environments we cannot fully appreciate from this comfortable position.

I firmly believe that we should celebrate our veterans after every conflict, and I remain committed, as a Member of Congress, to both meeting the needs of veterans of previous wars, and to provide a fitting welcome home to those who are now serving. Veterans have kept their promise to serve our nation; they have willingly risked their lives to protect the country we all love.

I have always been a strong supporter of our country's troops, male and female. That is why I introduced the House Concurrent Resolution 320 which celebrates one of our heroic daughters of Texas, Specialist Monica L. Brown of the United States Army with for her efforts earlier this year.

Spec. Brown was the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor. This soldier from Lake Jackson, Texas was only 20-years-old.

On April 25, 2007, Specialist Brown was part of a four-vehicle convoy patrolling near Jani Kheil in the eastern province of Paktia on April 25, 2007, when a bomb struck one of the Humvees.

When Spec. Brown saw her fellow soldiers were injured, she grabbed her aid bag and started running toward the burning vehicle as insurgents opened fire. All five wounded soldiers from her platoon scrambled out. Under this commotion, she assessed her patients and moved them to a safer location because they were still receiving incoming fire.

Other veteran's legislation that I am pursuing entails guaranteeing that our VA hospitals have the capacity to efficiently and effectively meet the needs of our troops. The Riverside Hospital in Houston, Texas is a historic medical center that has served the needs of veterans in the Houston area for a long time. However, currently, the hospital is lacking the tools necessary to treat the augmenting number of troops who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other common problems associated with fighting in battle. Today, at this very second let us take a united stand for the well being of our veterans; to say the very least, they deserve it and to say the most; we've promised it.

This attests to the fact that we must now ensure that we keep our promises to our veterans by extending our gratitude and appreciation. Currently, there are over 25 million veterans in the United States. There are more than 1,633,000 veterans living in Texas and more than 32,000 veterans living in my Congressional district alone. I hope we will all take the time to show appreciation to those who have answered the call to duty. As the Winston Churchill famously stated, ``Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.'' This recognition for our nation's Korean War Veterans is long overdue, and it is a small expression of appreciation our nation can offer to these men and women, and it will enable them to ensure that the ``Forgotten War'' is forgotten no more.

Madam Speaker, as we approach the 55th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting and serving those who have served this nation.

With that, I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

To my great friend, Ike Skelton, and all my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, it is an undeserved honor, but I want to thank you for the wonderful job that you have all done in putting this bill together.

This bill would not be, with all of the exigencies that we have had, and all of the difficulties in the other body to get their bill up, this bill would not be before this body now if it wasn't for the leadership of Ike Skelton.

There are a lot of military institutions in Missouri and around this country which teach members of the uniformed services leadership, but there is another institution which exhibits leadership every day, as chairman of this committee, and that's our chairman, Ike Skelton.

Ike worked this thing through a difficult period of time, with the emergencies that are emanating right now in the Capitol and the major economic emergency which is distracting lots of folks who otherwise could be working on this bill. Time schedules have been extremely difficult, and Ike Skelton, in his quiet way with his quiet leadership and his corporate understanding, he is the main body of history for the Armed Services Committee. He is the guy who remembers not only what happened in this committee 10 and 20 and 30 and 40 years ago, but also what happened in the wars that this Nation fought and what happened in that institution across the river known as the Pentagon. And being able to recall that history at important times in our deliberative processes is a great, great asset to this Nation. Ike, I want to congratulate you. This is your bill. It may have my name on it, but this is your bill. You brought this thing through to the House floor in the most difficult circumstances. Not only that, it is a wonderful bill.

The chairman has talked a lot about the details of the bill. This is an authorization of $531.4 billion. It does authorize a $68.6 billion bridge fund; a bridge fund, I might add, that was an initiative of the Armed Services Committee several years ago.

We looked at our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and said they are going to have to have the equipment and the resources during the later months in the calendar year before that spring supplemental arrives, and we came up with the bridge fund. The President followed our lead. The appropriators have followed our lead, and it has been an excellent vehicle allowing us to maintain in these warfighting theaters while we are waiting for the next funding vehicle. My congratulations to Ike for that.

We do have a good pay raise for the members of the armed services, a 3.9 percent pay raise. You know, this bill does several other things, and I will speak generally about them. It leverages American strengths. It leverages American strengths by continuing to keep the line warm, for example, on F-22 which is a key weapon system because it is a weapon system with the capability to penetrate air defenses that are here today and which may be here tomorrow. It leverages two great American innovations: stealth and precision weapons.

I would urge all of my colleagues as we go into this very difficult, very dangerous era for the United States, to continue to put pressure on and to produce American leverage. And stealth and precision technology are two of those items of technology, as is undersea technology. And we are moving toward an acceleration of the submarine program in this bill. That is very critical.

One disappointment I have is we are not doing enough in space. I would just say to my colleagues that the shooting down of a satellite by China this last year heralded a new era of military competition in space with China whether we like it or not. When you are in a military competition, there is only one alternative and that is to win. So I would urge this committee to continue in the years ahead to build a capability in space to make sure that we maintain all of the institutions and the apparatus that we need there to make sure that our military operates effectively here and that our economy operates effectively here.

Also in the area of missile defense, we are moving ahead to try to establish a missile defense capability in Europe that would handle through that throat of approach out of an Iranian missile launch that might take place 5 years or 10 years or 15 years from now, or perhaps even earlier. That is an important item because that brings the partnership, the NATO-plus partnership of the newly freed captive nations, but also the NATO membership, along with us in what is sometimes a difficult path, an expensive path, but nonetheless a necessary path to defend the world in this new era of missiles.

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of excellent items in this bill. In the end they all go down to and reflect on and focus on the most important warfighting leverage that the United States have, and that is the men and women of this country who wear the uniform of the United States.

I just want to commend my colleagues for the wonderful job that they have done in making sure that the men and women of the United States have the right equipment and the right incentives and good pay and good quality of life for their families such that when I was in a recruiting office the other day, and no I wasn't signing up, but when I was in one of the old Army recruiting offices in good old San Diego, the one shortage that they had, the one specialty, military occupational specialty that they had which was not available because too many people had subscribed for it and too many people had signed up for it was infantry.

And I thought in these dangerous theaters of Iraq and Afghanistan, the idea that we have more people than we need signing up for the United States infantry is a reflection largely on this committee.

We have two Members who are retiring, the great Mr. Everett of Alabama and the great Mr. Saxton of New Jersey. Mr. Udall is moving on to another race, and we wish him well in his endeavors. But those two gentlemen are retiring.

Terry Everett has done more good for this country behind closed doors than a lot of folks have done with lots of press conferences and lots of pronouncements. The quiet man. I know that Mrs. Tauscher held a nice going-away party for Mr. Everett that I thought was well-deserved. He is a quiet man who has done so much for

this country behind closed doors and is such a valuable asset to the United States.

And Mr. Saxton, who years before the war against terror started was the chairman of the Task Force on Terrorism here in the House who did lots of research and did lots of prediction that this would be the conflict and the challenge of this new era.

Jimmy Saxton is owed a debt of gratitude by everybody who wears those special forces uniforms around the world. Whether they are Seals or Army Rangers or Green Berets, Jimmy Saxton has devoted many years to making sure that they have gotten what they need. What a wonderful member of this committee he has been.

It is with a little touch of sadness that I am here on this last bill that I am going to be involved in with this undeserved honor of having my name on this bill, which is a case of more generosity than was deserved by the chairman and the members, but it has been an honor to serve on this committee. It is a wonderful bipartisan committee, probably the most bipartisan in the House of Representatives, always with our focus on the security of the United States, even in difficult economic times like these. This committee has a very excellent focus on what is important to keep that number one requirement, that number one Constitutional mandate on government, and that is our first obligation is to protect our people. This committee does a great job.

I reserve the balance of my time.

If the gentleman would yield.

I thank the gentleman. I remember being with him when the 82nd Airborne jumped into Honduras, when the Sandinistas came across the border, and I remember the press conference that was held after that. The gentleman's statements were so inspiring, I have never forgotten them. We have been in many parts of the world, the last time up on the DMZ watching the North Koreans. The gentleman has been a real leader in this committee, and I really appreciate it.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama, a very distinguished gentleman, Mr. Everett.

I would yield to Mr. Thornberry, the distinguished gentleman from Texas, 2 minutes.

I would yield to Mr. Bartlett, the gentleman from Maryland, a very distinguished gentleman and one of our great leaders on the Armed Services Committee, 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield to Mr. Akin, the very distinguished gentleman from Missouri, 1 minute.

I want to commend my seatmate from San Diego for her very hard work on this bill and her leadership.

I yield 1 minute to Mr. McHugh, who over the many years has been one of the great leaders in this country for what I call, when we used to call the subcommittee the total force, which is the Guard, the Reserve, the active duty, those 2\1/2\ million men and women who serve this country so effectively, and to this guy who knows probably more about them than just about anybody I've ever met and knows more about policy, the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).

Mr. Speaker, let me just conclude by again reflecting on the great leadership of Ike Skelton that brought this bill to the floor under such difficult circumstances. It's a great bill.

And lastly, to just reinforce a point that's been made by a number of speakers, you know, this is a city which really, whether you have a military crisis or an economic crisis, needs honest brokers, and those are people that can look at interested parties and make a decision that is made for the right reasons and made on the merits. This committee could not function, this Congress couldn't function, if we didn't have incredible, professional staff who can look right through a dozen conflicting interests and see one interest that should dominate the scene, and that's the American interest, the right thing to do.

And our professional staff members have that capability, and they have great character, and they have a lot of character, and in many cases, they are characters. Erin Conaton and Bob Simmons are the former staff director and the staff director, and their team have done such a great job of bringing this bill together, and only people in whom you could vest enormous amounts of trust could accomplish what they've accomplished.

I just want to commend them for this incredible undertaking that's been the last couple of weeks. They are all so sleepy right now they really just want to finish this thing and get off the floor. But let's thank them for what they've done for this country. We appreciate you.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New Jersey for the time.

I rise in support of Mr. Smith's resolution.

I was listening to another dear friend whom I greatly admire, Mr. Wolf, and I want to thank once again Mr. Smith of New Jersey and Mr. Wolf of Virginia for consistently being the voices for the oppressed throughout the world.

Martin Luther King said, ``An injustice anywhere is an affront to justice everywhere.'' And that is what this resolution is about. The men and women who are languishing in the prisons in Vietnam, those being tortured, the people being tortured because of their religious beliefs, because of their views on issues, because of their political aspirations for democracy, they are being tortured systematically; and that regime needs to be condemned not only by history but by the Congress of the United States. And that is why I support so strongly this resolution by Mr. Smith.

And it is appropriate, as Mr. Wolf did, to bring out the torture also being committed by the regime in China, mainland China. That is also a fascist communist regime. These regimes continue to be communist, but by opening the economy, they manage to get massive investments from Big Business throughout the world.

And I heard Mr. Wolf talk about how now Mr. Spielberg apparently is lobbying for the Chinese communist regime. It doesn't surprise me, after having met for hours with Fidel Castro and having said that that was one of the greatest experiences of his life, comparable to the birth of his child. So it doesn't surprise me.

It doesn't surprise me about Big Business going into Vietnam and China and getting profits from the exploitation of the workers by the communist regimes.

So I want to simply thank the gentleman for the time, and I am in strong support of this resolution. It is consistent with the best traditions of the Congress of the United States.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with our

colleagues a letter I recently sent to Secretary Rice

regarding the recent crackdown on advocates of human rights

and religious freedom in Vietnam. Even now, Vietnamese

authorities are continuing to harrass these activists,

including by blocking our ambassador's meetings with the

wives of detained dissidents. We must speak out against this

repression.

Dear Secretary Rice: I am writing to express my deep

concern regarding the worsening human rights situation in

Vietnam in recent months. After joining the World Trade

Organization in January 2007, the politburo of the Vietnamese

Communist Party (VCP) has carried out a large-scale brutal

campaign of arrest against the nascent movement for democracy

in Vietnam. Ignoring all international criticism and

strenuous protests of the Vietnamese people, inside Vietnam

and abroad, the communist regime in Hanoi has shamefully

pushed ahead with its crackdown. The following events were

particularly disconcerting to me.

On February 18, 2007, the second day of the Lunar New Year,

which is the most sacred time in Vietnamese culture, the

communist security forces raided Father Nguyen Van Ly's

office within the Communal Residence of the Hue Archdiocese.

Father Ly was later banished to a remote, secluded area in

Hue.

On March 5, 2007, security forces in Saigon told Mrs. Bui

Ngoc Yen that they had an order to arrest her husband,

Professor Nguyen Chinh Kiet, who is a leading member of the

Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam. Professor

Kiet was in Europe at the time campaigning for democracy and

human rights in Vietnam.

On March 8, 2007, Reverend Nguyen Cong Chinch and his wife

were brutally assaulted by security forces of Gia Lai

Province in the Central Highlands, who then arrested Reverend

Chinch on undisclosed charges.

Also on March 8, 2007, two prominent human rights activists

and lawyers, Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan,

were arrested in Hanoi and were told that they would be

detained for four months as part of an undisclosed

investigation.

On March 9, 2007, Mr. Tran Van Hoa, a member of the

People's Democracy Party in Quang Ninh Province, and Mr. Pham

Van Troi, a member of the Committee for Human Rights in

Ha Tay, were summoned by security forces and threatened

with ``immeasurable consequences'' if they do not stop

their advocacy for human rights in Vietnam.

On March 10, 2007, Do Nam Hai, an engineer writing under

the pen name Phuong Nam and one of the leading members of the

Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Vietnam, was told

by security forces that he could be indicted at any time for

activity against the State.

Also on March 10, 2007, state security forces also raided

the home of Ms. Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, a writer, on the

grounds that she advocated for ``people with grievances''

against the government. They took away two computers, two

cell phones, and hundreds of appeals that she had prepared

for victims of the government's abuses.

March 12, 2007, lawyer Le Quoc Quan, a consultant on local

governance for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP,

and Swedish International Development Agency, was arrested in

his hometown, Nghe An, less than a week after he returned

from a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy in

Washington, D.C. His whereabouts are unknown at this time.

On April 5, 2007, the Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi

rudely prevented Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) from

meeting with several dissidents' wives at a gathering

organized at the U.S. Ambassador's home. The police

reportedly used very hostile and undignified manners to

intervene in the meeting.

Furthermore, the Hanoi communist regime is still

imprisoning many political dissidents and labor advocates

such as Nguyen Vu Binh, Huynh Nguyen Dao, Truong Quoc Huy,

Nguyen Hoang Long, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Doan Huy Chuong, the

religious leaders of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam,

Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and more than 350 lay people of the

Protestant churches in the Central Highland.

The Vietnamese-Americans in my district, as well as all

across the country, are very angered and distressed by what

they perceive as a new and aggressive plan of the Hanoi

government to reverse the progress of human rights in

Vietnam. They believe that Ambassador Marine and his staff

are not doing enough to stop these blatant violations of

human rights.

It seems to me that the Vietnamese government is conducting

this crackdown on advocates of human rights and religious

freedom because it believes that the U.S. has no further

leverage in the region. Now that Vietnam has been admitted to

the WTO, and met with the Holy See, they believe they can

respond in this brutal fashion to supporters of democracy and

freedom and we will not respond.

I hope that you will make clear to the Vietnamese

authorities that we will not stand by while this violence and

intimidation continues. I believe the State Department should

consider putting Vietnam back on the list of Countries of

Particular Concern, and perhaps also consider canceling the

planned visit of the Vietnamese president and prime minister

later this year if the human rights situation in Vietnam has

not improved.

I appreciate the recent comments by Sean McCormack at Voice

of America expressing deep concern about the March 30 trial

and sentencing of Father Ly. I ask that you continue pressing

these issues with the Vietnamese government, including the

need to respect the basic human rights of all Vietnamese

citizens, especially the freedom of information, freedom of

expression, and freedom of religion. The Vietnamese people

should be able to choose their own leaders through free and

fair elections and to use the Internet freely without any

censures or restrictions.

I also ask that you encourage the Vietnamese authorities to

release all political prisoners and religious leaders who are

currently imprisoned because of their peaceful expression of

their ideas or to fight for their religious beliefs. Among

these prisoners are Father Nguyen Van Ly, Pastors Nguyen Cong

Chinh and Hong Trung, lawyers Nguyen Van Dai, Le thi Cong

Nhan, Le Quoc Quan, Messiers Truong Quoc Huy, and Nguyen

Hoang Lon.

Lastly, I believe the Vietnamese-American community, a

young but energetic group comprised of more than one million

citizens, should be included in future dialogues with U.S.

government officials. They know the history, culture and

values of Vietnam. They also have scrutinized the history and

tactics of communism and the communist government's habits at

the negotiating table. I sincerely believe that the history

of Vietnam must inform our approach to this and all other

aspects of foreign policy, and the Vietnamese-American

community is a tremendous asset in this regard. I

respectfully request that you invite a small representation

of the Vietnamese-American community to join the U.S.

delegation in next month's human rights dialogue.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Wolf,

Member of Congress.