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About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.


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NCVA eREPORTER - January 18, 2005

In this NCVA eReporter:

Events

Funding Opportunities

Jobs/Internships

Tips/Resources

News

******************
 EVENTS

NATIONAL COALITION FOR ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 6TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION – MAY 18-20, 2005

The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development is seeking proposals for workshop presentations for our 6th Annual National Convention. The convention will be held on May 18-20, 2005 at the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, WA, and will mark our return to the city in which National CAPACD was founded; we hope that you will be able to join us in Seattle to celebrate our homecoming and to commemorate the work of local community based organizations nationwide.

~~~ CALL FOR WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS ~~~

National CAPACD’s annual convention provides an exciting opportunity and platform for hundreds of community organizers, housing and economic development organizations and social service providers that work with Asian, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and other minority and immigrant communities to gather and share ideas for comprehensive solutions to community empowerment, development and planning.

The convention goals are: 1) Provide opportunities for networking 2) Develop the capacity of those who serve AAPI communities, 3) Encourage the active participation of the AAPI community in advocacy initiatives, 4) Develop collaborations among diverse people working to improve the lives of AAPIs and other communities of color.

We welcome presentations from service providers, educators, researchers, policy makers, youth, business representatives, government officials, media representatives, technical assistance providers and others. Conference organizers encourage workshops that explore actions and projects at different levels (from local, statewide, regional to national), and workshops that are innovative in format. Attached please find a presentation application.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: February 20, 2005

PLEASE FIND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE

~~~~ SCHOLARSHIPS ~~~
In an effort to build leadership, organizational capacity, and membership support, National CAPACD strives to make our convention accessible by providing a limited amount of scholarships for eligible recipients. Students, representatives from growing and emerging communities, Pacific Islander organizations and National CAPACD members are encouraged to apply. DEADLINE: March 11, 2005.

~~~ REGISTRATION FORMS ~~~
Register now with our early bird registration & membership registration discount!
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE: April 8, 2005

~~~ SPONSORSHIP, EXHIBITIONS & JOURNALS ADS ~~~~

There will be countless opportunities for exhibiting and marketing opportunities at this year's gathering. Sponsorship, Exhibitions & journal ads afford opportunities to promote your organization to local leaders in the community economic development organizations & individuals form around the country.

DEADLINE FOR EXHIBITORS: March 31, 2005
DEADLINE FOR JOURNAL ADS & SPONSORSHIPS: April 13, 2005

TO DOWNLOAD FORMS & APPLICATIONS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE!

~~~
Aleyamma Mathew, Director of Programs
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
aleyamma@nationalcapacd.org

(www.nationalcapacd.org)

******************
 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

SUPPORT FOR COMPANY COMMUNITIES

West Group Community Partnership Program

The West Group Community Partnership Program supports nonprofit organizations in the communities where West Group offices are located, including communities in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Washington, DC.  (For a list of office locations go to http://west.thomson.com/contacts/locations.asp.) Support is provided for organizations focused on educating the future workforce, providing arts and cultural experiences to the community, and developing and strengthening youth, families and communities. Deadlines vary according to area of interest. The next deadline is March 15, 2005 for programs focused on educating the future workforce. The deadline for arts and culture programs is June 15, 2005 and the deadline for programs to strengthen youth, families, and communities is September 15, 2005.

(http://west.thomson.com/about/community/grants/)

******************

SUPPORT FOR STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE HEALTHY BEHAVIOR

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Prescription for Health

Prescription for Health, a five-year initiative funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, provides support to primary care practice-based research networks (PBRNs) to develop creative, practical strategies for promoting healthy behaviors among patients in their practices that can be easily adopted by other primary care practices. Four health risk behaviors are targeted: sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, tobacco use, and risky drinking. During this funding round, the initiative's second and final funding round, proposals will be accepted for new innovations to improve health behavior change interventions in routine practice, as well as studies to further test and refine innovations funded in the first-round. The application deadline is March 7, 2005. PBRNs throughout the U.S. are eligible to apply.

(http://www.prescriptionforhealth.org)

******************

 CPB RELEASES THE 2005 RADIO PROGRAM FUND REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has just announced the release of the 2005 Radio Program Fund Request for Proposals (RFP). CPB has available approximately $6.4 million to invest in national programming projects in radio. This year, this request for proposals is focused specifically on programming. Information regarding the RFP and application process can be found on the website above. The deadline for responding to the RFP is Friday, March 3, 2005.

(http://www.cpb.org/radio/programfund/)

******************

MATTEL LAUNCHES NEW DOMESTIC GRANTS PROGRAM

Mattel and the Mattel Children's Foundation have launched a new Domestic Grants Program. For the first time in over 5 years, unsolicited grants are being accepted for review for funding. Charitable organizations throughout the U.S. that directly serve children in need will be eligible for financial grants in amounts of $5,000 to $25,000, depending on program, organization and individual community need. Applications for Cycle I are accepted from January 1, 2005 to April 8, 2005.

(http://www.mattel.com/about_us/Comm_Involvement/ci_mcf_philanthropy_grantmaking.asp)

******************

 AMERICAN EXPRESS ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE FUND TO SUPPORT FINANCIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

The American Express Foundation will grant $1 million in 2005 to fund financial literacy and education projects as part of the American Express Economic Independence Fund.

The program is designed to support the delivery of financial literacy education to underserved adult segments of society, including the newly employed, young workers, individuals moving from welfare to work, and immigrants. The fund is being administered jointly with the National Endowment for Financial Education.

Any U.S. nonprofit organization that is tax exempt under sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1), (2), or (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and whose clients are representative of underserved adult audiences targeted by the fund and who would benefit from financial literacy education is eligible to apply. The focus is on organizations operating at the community level that may or may not have affiliations with state, regional, and national groups. Multi-organizational partnerships or statewide programs are acceptable.

Grant amounts will range between $15,000 and $30,000, and proposals will be considered for projects ranging from twelve to twenty-four months in duration.

All applicants are required to consult the Financial Education Clearinghouse to select pre-approved curricula and educational materials.

(http://home3.americanexpress.com/corp/giving_back.asp)

******************

 NEW VOICES SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR CITIZEN MEDIA VENTURES

New Voices, a program to seed innovative citizen media ventures around the United States, has issued a call for its first round of grant proposals. New Voices is funded with a $1 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is administered by J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism, part of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

New Voices will help fund the start-up of twenty hyper- local news ventures over the next two years and will support them with an educational Web site.

The program is seeking new ideas for distributing news and information to hyperlocal geographic communities or communities of interest. In particular, it is looking for news ventures that offer the promise of being self-sustaining.

Nonprofit and educational institutions are eligible to apply. Funding is available for start-up news initiatives only. Ongoing efforts are not eligible to apply unless they are proposing a new venture. Funding is available for print or electronic news initiatives, including online, cable, broadcast, narrowcast, satellite, and mobile efforts.

Each project may receive as much as $17,000 in grants.

Eligibility guidelines and application forms are available at the New Voices Web site.

(http://www.j-newvoices.org/)

******************
 JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

January 5, 2004

For Immediate Release,  Contact:  Joel Szabat  (202) 258-5023

INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2005 SUMMER PUBLIC AFFAIRS INTERNSHIPS FOR ASIAN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS TO GO TO SACRAMENTO, CA AND WASHINGTON, DC

For the fifth year, the International Leadership Foundation (ILF) will award up to 30 internships for Asian American college students to better understand American government. Each student awarded a fellowship will spend six weeks during the summer working for a government agency in either Washington, DC or in Sacramento, California. The ILF is a non-profit organization that promotes the civic involvement, and effectiveness, of Asian Pacific Americans.

“The vision of the International Leadership Foundation to recognize the importance of offering leadership opportunities to young Asian Americans is truly laudatory,” said Labor Secretary Elaine Chao at the ILF’s 2004 Annual Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.

Any undergraduate student in good standing at a junior college, college, or university is eligible to apply. Applicants must be United States citizens or legal residents. Applications must be received by February 25, 2005, and can be submitted by mail or email. Interested students can get the application form from the ILF’s website at www.ILEADER.org, or call (202) 258-5023.

Each ILF Fellow selected will receive a $1,000 scholarship, funded by the ILF and the Ronald McDonald House Charities Foundation’s “RMHC / ASIA” scholarship program, or other sponsors.  The ILF works with government agencies to place each Fellow in his or her area of interest.  Students must pay for their own travel, housing and living expenses during their internships.

“The ILF program is non-partisan,” explained C.C. Yin,  President of the ILF. “We make certain that students get exposed to a wide range of viewpoints.” In addition to their own internships, the ILF Fellows also attend weekly seminars to learn about government.

In 2004 Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta accepted the ILF’s  Lifetime Achievement Award.  The ILF also recognizes public service by Asian American community leaders each year at its annual Awards Dinner.

(www.ileader.org)

******************
 TIPS/RESOURCES

ENABLING THE ASIAN AMERICAN ELECTORATE: 2003 VOTER REGISTRATION IN ELEVEN MASSACHUSETTS CITIES AND TOWNS

Paul Y. Watanabe, University of Massachusetts Boston
Michael Liu, University of Massachusetts Boston

Introduction
For many in Massachusetts' rapidly growing Asian American community, political participation is a vehicle to expand opportunities. Involvement in the selection of public officials and casting votes on critical issues are important manifestations of civic engagement. This participation, while it may offer opportunities for Asian Americans, also poses some significant challenges. In order to vote, adult residents must be United States citizens by birth or naturalization, but that is not enough. Citizens must also be registered to vote. This report provides the most detailed information on voter registration and Asian Americans in Massachusetts ever assembled. It includes analysis by the Institute for Asian American Studies of recent data from the cities and towns in Massachusetts with more than 4,000 voting age Asian Americans.

The information on voter registration is organized into three parts. The first section includes two different measures of voter registration: 1) the registration rate for Asian Americans of voting age, and 2) the registration rate for Asian Americans of voting age who are citizens. The second section examines the consequences of voter registration rates on actual and potential Asian American electoral influence by looking at: 1) the Asian American share of the voting age population, 2) the Asian American share of voting age citizens, and 3) the Asian American share of registered voters. The final section provides data on the party affiliations of Asian Americans who are registered to vote.

(http://www.iaas.umb.edu/publications/IAAS_Voter_Reg.pdf)

******************
 NEWS

January 10, 2005

VOTERS SUBPOENAED IN VO-HEFLIN FLAP
Democrat will be seated, but panel still has final say Representatives

By Joe Stinebaker and Kristen Mack
Houston Chronicle

The state House has subpoenaed scores of Houston-area voters who cast contested ballots in the November election that gave Democratic newcomer Hubert Vo a narrow victory over veteran Republican state Rep. Talmadge Heflin.

Vo will be sworn in and seated as the state Legislature convenes today but still faces Heflin's challenge of the election results before a special House committee.

The committee ordered the voters to fill out questionnaires or give depositions to lawyers representing Heflin and Vo.

The subpoenas came as an unwelcome surprise to some of the more than 100 voters whose ballots are in question.

Aledigna Staats said she and her husband, Michael Staats, moved from Harris County to Fort Bend County in October 2003 but were told at the Harris County polling place that they could vote there as long as they filled out a change of address form for the future.

"I didn't think twice about it," Aledigna Staats said. "Then we got subpoenaed and had to give depositions. We were kind of upset by the whole thing. This is ridiculous."

Heflin, an 11-term legislator from Houston, lost to Vo by 33 votes of the more than 40,000 cast in the November general election. House Speaker Tom Craddick appointed the special committee to investigate Heflin's allegations of voting irregularities.

Staats said she and her husband voted straight Republican tickets — meaning they voted for Heflin — but now believe that he should accept the election results.

"If you lose, you lose," she said.

Heflin's contest will be heard Jan. 27 before the nine-member Select Committee on Election Contest, which includes five Republicans and four Democrats. State Rep. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas, who is supervising the committee's investigation, says he plans to file a report by the first week of February.

After a public hearing at the Capitol, the committee will make recommendations to the Republican-controlled House. House members can then uphold Vo's election, seat Heflin or require Gov. Rick Perry to schedule another election.

Most of the allegations focus on 167 votes identified as ineligible by Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt, who also serves as voter registrar. He has forwarded the list of irregularities to District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal. Most involve voters who cast ballots in the election after having moved from the district.

Some of the voters are receiving questionnaires that can be filled out and returned by mail. Others are receiving full subpoenas, requiring them to visit with Vo's and Heflin's attorneys and provide sworn depositions.

Among the questions asked are where the voters live now, where they voted and for whom they voted.

Hartnett and Larry Veselka, who is Vo's lawyer, said voters cannot be forced to divulge how they voted unless the legislative committee determines that their vote was illegal. After such determination, however, a voter who refuses to divulge his vote can be held in contempt.

"If a person interferes with an election unjustly, they have no right of privacy as to who they voted for," Hartnett said. "Historically, I don't believe they have been forced, but that doesn't bind me. I have the ability to compel illegal voters to divulge who they voted for."

One subpoenaed voter, Henry Akuchie, described a day of confusion when he tried to vote Nov. 2.

Akuchie, a native of Nigeria who has been a U.S. citizen since 1993, had lived in Vo's and Heflin's district until a recent move to Sugar Land. He said he was sent to three different polling sites on Election Day.

"I ran around. It took me almost two hours," he said. "I just hope my vote counts. How could I have done anything wrong? All I wanted to do was vote somewhere."

He said he voted for Vo.

Not all voters on the list of 167 have received subpoenas or questionnaires.

One who hasn't is Henning Eilert-Olsen of Katy, who has lived in the area for nearly 14 years and voted in the November election even though he is not an American citizen and is therefore not eligible to vote.

Although Eilert-Olsen, a Norwegian, said he does not recall registering to vote, an application on file in Bettencourt's office appears to bear his signature. But the application also states that Eilert-Olsen is not a U.S. citizen. Nevertheless, he was issued a voter's card and cast a straight Republican ticket in November.

Bettencourt acknowledged his office erred in giving Eilert-Olsen a voter card.

kristen.mack@chron.com; joe.stinebaker@chron.com

(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/05/legislature/2986820)

******************

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2005

CONTACT: Daphne Kwok 202-296-9200

CHALLENGE AND PROMISE: THE NATIONAL SUMMIT ON APIA ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Washington, DC – A passionate and dedicated group of over 50 national and local leaders, researchers, and school personnel convened this past weekend at the National Summit on Asian and Pacific Islander Issues in Education, co-hosted by the National Education Association (NEA) and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) in Washington D.C.

The summit saw a diverse group of conference participants grapple with complex questions about Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) education issues. The information generated at the conference will contribute to a report on APIA students to be released by NEA in May 2005 as part of a series of reports on the Status of Education on Underserved Groups.

Kicked off by a resounding call to action by Reg Weaver, President of NEA, the conference was guided by the goal of improving the educational experiences of APIA students in our nation’s schools.

"Contrary to stereotypes, not all Asian and Pacific Islander American students are learning and succeeding in school," explained Kevin Kumashiro, Summit Coordinator and Senior Program Specialist at NEA. "While the Summit raised awareness of the many challenges we face, it also highlighted innovative resources and the promise for change."

Morning sessions saw working groups discuss the diverse composition of APIA populations and the impact of policy issues on this diversity. “Too few educators are able to recognize and respond to the diversity of educational strengths and needs of APIA students,” claimed Peter Kiang, Professor of Education and Director of Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. “The use of aggregate data to describe APIA educational achievement masks the realities of many students within various ethnic groups,” he continued.

Bic Ngo, Professor at the University of Minnesota, offered specific data from the Southeast Asian American student community to highlight the dramatic disparity in educational and economic achievement within that community. For example, only 7.4% of Hmong Americans over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree, compared to 19.5% of Vietnamese Americans and 42.7% of all APIAs over the age of 25.

San Diego State University Professor Valerie Ooka Pang urged educators to promote caring in the classroom.  Pang shared with the audience her own experience of working with a talented, tri-lingual Japanese-Colombian student who had been wrongly placed into special needs classes because of the failure of his school teachers and administrators to recognize his abilities.  Her story underscored the danger of ignoring the diverse needs of APIA students and relying instead on stereotypes, such as that of the model minority.

In the afternoon, the conference agenda shifted to practical action, with conference participants mapping out concrete next steps for improving education for APIA students. Garden Grove Unified School District School Board Member KimOanh Nguyen-Lam described her community’s success at passing California legislation aimed at correcting the problematic practice of teaching students about Vietnam solely in the context of the Vietnam War. “[California Assembly Bill 78] is not a mandate, however,” Nguyen-Lam warned. “It’s up to schools to enforce the recommendations.”

Rahat “Dee” Brastad, an English teacher at Southridge High School in Washington state, urged non-APIA educators and students to learn about APIA history. “We need non-APIA teachers to get involved and teach our history too,” commented Brastad.

Conference participants shared a sense of accomplishment at the close of the conference. As EunSook Lee, Executive Director of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) described, “the summit was informative, interactive & thought-provoking, and it will contribute significantly to NAKASEC's ability to identify our education policy priorities for 2005. Just as important,” Lee added, “I received important resources, which our affiliates will be able to use for their local community education programs."

“Education policy is almost a neglected issue area for the APIA community. Since education is of utmost importance to all APIA groups, APAICS was honored to be able to help convene a diverse and dynamic group to start the policy discussions,” commented Daphne Kwok, Executive Director of APAICS.

Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 835
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202/296-9200
Fax: 202/296-9236
Website: www.apaics.org

******************

January 11, 2005

CANADIAN BUDDHIST TEMPLE SOLD TO BENEFIT TSUNAMI VICTIMS

BURNABY, British Columbia (AP) -- A small Buddhist congregation has sold one of its temples to raise money for tsunami victims.

Abbot Thick Nguyen handed the Canadian Red Cross a check Monday for $500,000 (US$405,000), representing the entire proceeds from the sale of the Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation's temple in the town east of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley.

The small group still has its main temple in this large Vancouver suburb.

"This is phenomenal. It's one of the largest, if not the largest, donations the Canadian Red Cross has received from anyone in British Columbia," Red Cross spokeswoman Carmen MacKenzie said Monday.

A Vancouver-area Tibetan Buddhist group agreed to purchase the temple in Mission after learning of plans for the sale through news reports.

"The idea of giving $500,000 to help survivors of the tsunami is not unprecedented, but the idea of giving up a whole temple to help victims touched a lot of people around the world," said Phien Nguyen, a director of the Vietnamese Buddhist group.

The subsidiary temple was sold for the top offer after being on the market for a year to raise funds for building a bigger temple in Mission. Nguyen told the congregation on New Year's Day he had decided to accept the offer and donate the proceeds to tsunami relief.

"When the abbot made his announcement, a lot of people dropped their jaws, but after a day went by everybody began supporting him wholeheartedly," said Dr. Vi Liet Nguyen, a family physician and temple board member, in an earlier Vancouver Sun interview.

The abbot said through an interpreter the tsunami relief is partly to thank the people of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia who in the 1970s accepted him and others as refugees fleeing from the Communist government in Vietnam.

(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/01/11/state1009EST0037.DTL)

******************

January 12, 2005

FRESHMEN GET A DOSE OF REALITY
3 Houstonians join 15 other first timers

By Kristen Mack
Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN - Houston's freshman legislators got a dose of excitement and reality as they took office Tuesday.

The excitement: Alma Allen, Hubert Vo and Melissa Noriega joined 15 other newcomers in the House of Representatives, who were surrounded by family and friends during the ceremonial swearing-in.

The reality: Vo still faces an election challenge for his seat, and Noriega learned that she will have to relinquish her job with the Houston Independent School District while she fills in for her husband, state Rep. Rick Noriega, D-Houston.

He is serving with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan — where he took an oath of office outside wooden barracks in Kabul at the same time his colleagues were sworn in.

Noriega designated his wife to serve for him while he is on military duty, as authorized in a state constitutional amendment passed last year.

Rick Noriega requested an opinion from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on whether his wife could keep her job as special projects manager for HISD while serving as a lawmaker. Abbott's office issued an informal opinion that she could not.

"You cannot be a state legislator and have a paying job with the state, and that encompasses HISD," said Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for the AG's office.

"All it means is that I need to take a leave," Melissa Noriega said. "I've had to give some things up for this. But what I've gotten back is the affection and support of the people."

Rep. John Davis, R-Houston, read a letter from Rick Noriega before the adoption of a House resolution allowing Melissa Noriega to serve as acting representative.

"In undertaking this responsibility, Melissa is fulfilling a duty the same as every other military spouse," Noriega wrote. "She is a working woman and a loving mother."

Vo, a Democrat, alluded to the election contest in a speech on the Capitol steps before hundreds of supporters who came to rally on his behalf.

"This inauguration is not as much a victory as it is a challenge," Vo said.

Talmadge Heflin, the veteran Republican legislator whom Vo defeated by 33 votes, is contesting the election. After hearings later this month, the House can uphold Vo's election, seat Heflin or require Gov. Rick Perry to schedule another election in southwest Houston's District 149.

Three busloads of Vo supporters left Houston shortly after 6 a.m. and arrived at the Capitol around 9:30 a.m. to rally for Vo, sporting buttons that read "Heflin just can't take Vo for an answer."

"We are not just going to allow anyone to manipulate the process or take his seat away from him," said Houston City Councilman Gordon Quan.

Several groups, including the Houston 80-20, an Asian-American political action committee, have gathered more than 3,000 petition signatures asking the House to uphold the election.

Like Vo, Alma Allen is taking the place of a prominent veteran lawmaker. She unseated state Rep. Ron Wilson in last spring's Democratic primary.

"It's a tremendous joy to be here to have this opportunity," she said.

"I'm excited about the prospects for what we can accomplish this year."

Allen sent out 1,300 invitations to the inauguration, and several hundred showed up to share the day with her, including people from her church, campaign workers, and friends and family from Chicago, Atlanta and California.

Allen is the only Houston freshman to have held previous public office. She served 14 years on the state Board of Education, resigning last year when she was elected to the House. Her son, Lawrence Allen Jr., principal of Houston's Jones High School, was elected without opposition to fill out her term.

Though she's no longer on the school board, Allen is still thinking about education matters. Among the legislation she plans to introduce is a bill that would abolish corporal punishment in Texas schools.

Among the other elected Houston officials in town for the first day of the session were Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia and City Council members Carol Mims Galloway, Adrian Garcia and Ronald Green.

kristen.mack@chron.com

(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2988764)

******************

January 14, 2005

This is part of Human Rights Watch's annual WORLD REPORT, which was released on January 14, 2005 in Washington, D.C.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH’S WORLD REPORT 2005 - VIETNAM

Human Rights Summary

Human rights conditions in Vietnam, already dismal, worsened in 2004. The government tolerates little public criticism of the Communist Party or statements calling for pluralism, democracy, or a free press. Dissidents are harassed, isolated, placed under house arrest, and in many cases, charged with crimes and imprisoned. Among those singled out are prominent intellectuals, writers, and former Communist Party stalwarts.

The government continues to brand all unauthorized religious activities-particularly those that it fears may be able to attract a large following-as potentially subversive. Targeted in particular are members of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam and ethnic minority Protestants in the northern and central highlands.

Freedom of Expression

Domestic newspapers and television and radio stations remain under strict government control. Although journalists are occasionally able to report on corruption by government officials, direct criticism of the Party is forbidden. Foreign media representatives are required to obtain authorization from the Foreign Ministry for all travel outside Hanoi.

Several dissidents and democracy activists have been arrested and tried during the last several years on criminal charges-including espionage and other vaguely-worded crimes against "national security"-for peaceful criticism of the government or calling for multi-party reforms. Legislation remains in force authorizing the arbitrary "administrative detention" of anyone suspected of threatening national security, with no need for prior judicial approval.

In July 2004 long-time human rights advocate Nguyen Dan Que, 62, was sentenced to thirty months of imprisonment for "abusing democratic freedoms," for writing an essay, distributed over the Internet, about state censorship of information and the media. Other cyber-dissidents who have been sentenced to prison on criminal charges include: Pham Hong Son, Le Chi Quang, Nguyen Khac Toan, Nguyen Vu Binh, Pham Que Duong and Tran Khue.

Internet Controls

The government maintains strict control over access to the Internet.  It blocks websites considered objectionable or politically sensitive and strictly bans the use of the Internet to oppose the government, "disturb" national security and social order, or offend the "traditional national way of life." Decision 71, issued by the Ministry of Public Security in January 2004, requires Internet users at public cafés to provide personal information before logging on and has increased the pressure on Internet café owners to monitor customers' email messages and block access to banned websites.

In April 2004 the government closed down Vietnam International News 24-Hour, an unlicensed website that had reprinted a BBC article about Easter demonstrations in the Central Highlands. In August 2004 the Ministry of Public Security created a new office to monitor the Internet for "criminal" content, a measure that appears to be aimed in part at intimidating people from circulating any information that authorities could deem to be a "state secret" or otherwise unauthorized.

Freedom of Religion

The government bans independent religious associations and permits religious activities only insofar as they are conducted by officially-recognized churches and organizations whose governing boards are approved and controlled by the government.

A new Ordinance on Beliefs and Religions went into effect in November 2004. It pays lip service to freedom of religion but strengthens government controls over religion and bans religious activities deemed to threaten national security, public order, and national unity.

Members of the banned Mennonite church have come under increasing pressure from the government. In June 2004, Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang, an outspoken Mennonite church leader, was arrested after publicly criticizing the government for detaining four Mennonites three months earlier. On two separate occasions during 2004, officials in Kontum province bulldozed a chapel of Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, superintendent of the Mennonite churches in the Central Highlands. In September, October, and November, police pressured Mennonites in Kontum and Pleiku provinces to sign forms renouncing their religion.

In both the central and northern highlands, government officials continue to ban most Protestant gatherings. Authorities have forced ethnic minority evangelical Christians to pledge to abandon their religion and cease all political or religious activities in public self-criticism sessions or by signing written pledges.

Crackdown in the Central Highlands

In the Central Highlands some ethnic minority Christians have rejected the government-controlled Evangelical Church of Vietnam and have sought to manage their own religious activities. Increasing numbers of ethnic minorities, collectively known as Montagnards, appear to be joining Tin Lanh Dega, or Dega Protestantism, which combines evangelical Christianity with elements of ethnic pride and aspirations for self-rule. Dega Protestantism is officially banned by the government.

In April 2004 peaceful demonstrations by Montagnards during Easter weekend in the Central Highlands turned violent when security forces and civilians acting on their behalf ambushed and attacked the demonstrators with clubs, metal bars, and other crude weapons. At least ten Montagnards were killed and dozens wounded. Hundreds fled from their villages and went into hiding or attempted to flee to Cambodia. (see Cambodia) Authorities dispatched additional police and military forces to the region and established security checkpoints along the main roads. Strict restrictions were placed on travel within the highlands, on meetings of more than two people, and on communication with the outside world.

Repression of Buddhists

Religious leaders of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), which was the largest Buddhist organization in the country prior to 1975 and which does not recognize the authority of the government-controlled Vietnam Buddhist Church, face ongoing persecution. The government appeared to be easing up on the group in early 2003, when UBCV leader Thich Quang Do was released from two years of administrative detention and the prime minister visited UBCV Supreme Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang. However, in October 2003 the two UBCV leaders were once again placed under unofficial house arrest and eleven other UBCV leaders were taken into administrative detention. Tensions escalated in November 2004 when authorities prevented Thich Quang Do from visiting Thich Huyen Quang, 87, who was severely ill in hospital, and summoned him for questioning on allegations of "appropriating state secrets".

In March 2004, UBCV dissident Thich Tri Luc (Pham Van Tuong) was released from prison and resettled in Sweden two months later. Thich Tri Luc, a UNHCR-recognized refugee, had been abducted by Cambodian and Vietnamese agents in Cambodia and taken to Vietnam in 2002.

Members of the Hoa Hao sect of Buddhism are subject to police surveillance and several were thought to remain in detention at this writing. The sect was granted official status in May 1999, although government appointees dominated the Hoa Hao Buddhism Representative Committee established at that time. In August 2004 Hoa Hao leader Le Quang Liem, 84, was released from administrative detention after more than two years' under house arrest.

Religious Prisoners

At this writing, at least ten ethnic Hmong Christians were in detention in Lai Chau and Ha Giang provinces in the north. At least 180 Montagnard Christians continued to serve prison sentences of up to twelve years for their involvement in church activities or public demonstrations, or for attempting to seek asylum in Cambodia. Three Mennonites were serving prison terms ranging from nine months to three years for "resisting officers on duty," after a half-day trial in November 2004. At least four Catholics, including Father Nguyen Van Ly and members of the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix, remained in prison for expressing criticism of Vietnam's human rights record or for distributing religious books and holding training courses.

Torture in Detention

Prison conditions in Vietnam are extremely harsh. Human Rights Watch has received reports of solitary confinement of detainees in cramped, dark, unsanitary cells; lack of access to medical care; and of police beating, kicking, and using electric shock batons on detainees. Police officers routinely arrest and detain suspects without written warrants, and authorities regularly hold suspects in detention for more than a year before they are formally charged or tried.

Political trials are closed to the international press corps, the public, and often the families of the detainees themselves. Defendants do not have access to independent legal counsel. More than 100 death sentences were issued in 2004, with twenty-nine crimes considered capital offenses under the penal code, including murder, armed robbery, drug trafficking, many economic crimes, and some sex offenses.

International Response

At the December 2003 Consultative Group meeting, Vietnam's international donors pledged more than U.S.$2.8 billion in aid for 2004. While donors publicly have focused on economic growth, "good governance," and poverty reduction programs, they have increasingly expressed concerns about the government's imprisonment of dissidents, suppression of freedom of expression and of religion, and its poor handling of the crisis in the Central Highlands.

In June 2004 Japan, Vietnam's largest donor, reversed its traditionally circumspect stance on Vietnam's record on human rights and announced that its official development assistance to Vietnam would be linked in part to the government's respect for human rights and steps toward democracy.  In contrast, fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made virtually no comment on Vietnam's human rights record.

In 2004, the European Union (EU) criticized Vietnam's decision to classify information and statistics on executions as a state secret. More than 100 members of the European Parliament called on the EU and European Commission to highlight Vietnam's human rights record during the Asia-Europe Summit Meeting held in Hanoi in October 2004.  During the meetings the Dutch Foreign Minister, on behalf of the EU, called for the release of political and religious prisoners. In November, the UK Foreign Office raised concerns about the plight of non-recognized Buddhist and Protestant groups in its annual human rights report.

The U.S. re-established diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1995 and approved a bilateral trade agreement with Vietnam in 2001. In 2001 and again in 2004, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Vietnam Human Rights Act, which would link future increases in non-humanitarian aid to progress on human rights. As of this writing the Senate had not approved the legislation. In 2003 the U.S. State Department cancelled its annual human rights dialogue with Vietnam because of lack of concrete results. In September 2004 the State Department designated Vietnam a "Country of Particular Concern" because of what it called Vietnam's "particularly severe violations of religious freedom."

In July 2004 Vietnam became of one fifteen countries, and the first and only Asian country, to receive financial aid from President Bush's emergency global plan for HIV/AIDS.  In November, the deputy director of UNAIDS called on Vietnam to address continuing discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, which she said was among the worst in the world.

In November 2004 the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stated that the imprisonment of Nguyen Dan Que was arbitrary and in violation of international law.

(http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/01/13/vietna9828.htm)

Full Report (http://www.hrw.org/wr2k5/)

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January 16, 2005

 SUSTAINING OUR RESOLVE IN IRAQ

By John E. Carey

Some respected leaders recently advocated an expeditious American withdrawal from Iraq. Others favored postponing the Iraqi elections. Many, watching the bloodshed in Iraq, search for quick and easy ways to halt it and spare lives.

Former senator and presidential candidate George McGovern has been among those saying Iraq will be around for thousands of years with or without American help. True enough. But Mr. McGovern and many others go a step further when they compare Iraq to Vietnam. Mr. McGovern has even said Vietnam is now an American trading partner, if not a friend. In his mind, apparently, America's decision to withdraw from Vietnam in 1975 resulted in a happy ending.

Comparing Iraq to Vietnam seems problematic. Believing it is OK to fight a war halfway and then depart precipitously and without fully understanding all potential outcomes and results is irresponsible and sadly distorts history's lessons.

Ask the Vietnamese living here in America. They are torn by their deep loyalty and love for the United States and the belief they were devaluated in 1975 when America executed the "cut and run." The Vietnamese here now love the fact Americans helped them hold off the tide of the communist North for years. They deeply value their freedom and their lives here in a country that has largely accepted them.

But the Vietnamese in America are reticent to tell you what they believe in their hearts and what they discuss in small gatherings among family and friends: that America ultimately let them down in 1975, creating chaos and bloodshed in Vietnam and Southeast Asia for years.

When America left Vietnam in 1975, the communists came south, sweeping away the former South Vietnam, and imprisoning or killing untold numbers of freedom-loving Vietnamese. More than 900,000 South Vietnamese were sent to concentration camps. Millions lost everything: homes, family, jobs and all possessions. A vast migration called the Vietnam Diaspora ensued. Something like 3 million people left Vietnam, many in small, undependable boats.

Many of these "boat people" succumbed to starvation, the ravages of the sea or murdering pirates. Those that made it safely to other lands spread to all corners of the Earth. Vietnamese people now live in France, Norway and nearly every other European country. They settled in Australia and every other country that would have them. Almost 2 million people from Vietnam now live here in the United States, and the majority are now productive, legal citizens.

But the journey of these refugees was seldom easy. No one should minimize the agony of the trip to escape the communists. Many Vietnamese were refugees for years. Many of the "boat people" made it to the Philippines, only to be interred in an infamous "camp" on Palawan Island.

These refugees lived a life in limbo. Palawan wasn't quite a prisoner of war camp but it was a long way from the freedoms of the former South Vietnam. And Palawan fell well short of the goal: freedom and a home in America.

During the Diaspora, some Vietnamese refugees among the survivors spent 10 to 15 years trying to get to other countries. Many were forcibly returned to Vietnam.

And what was left behind in Southeast Asia? In Vietnam: communism, repression and a loss of freedom. The economy in Vietnam is just now recovering from 25-plus years of communist repression. After 1975, more than 2 million people were killed by the communists in Cambodia. Southeast Asia was in turmoil for years after the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.

If you ask the Vietnamese who fled their homeland after the war ended in 1975, they'll tell you that the lesson of American commitment is to stay the course. If that is not possible, they'll beg American leaders to carefully consider all the implications of an American commitment gone bad: a withdrawal with haste and little regard for the plight of the allies.

So, what might the delay in the elections in Iraq mean? Would the insurgents be emboldened? The answer is undoubtedly: yes. The insurgents, who are also the terrorists, are looking for any sign of the erosion of America's will. Any indicator of an early withdrawal of American forces means the insurgents are on the right track. The insurgents want America out of Iraq so they can work their will on Iraqis without American intervention.

And if America leaves Iraq, what happens to the freedom-loving Iraqis? The Kurds are trapped between Turkey, a nation that has little use for them, and the Sunnis, including remnants of Saddam Hussein's former Ba'ath Party, whose members openly despise the Kurds. Saddam once tried to wipe them out with chemical weapons, as if the Kurds were so many cockroaches.

The Sunnis, roughly 20 percent of the Iraqi population, held power in Iraq for decades during Saddam's rule. They controlled the military, the police and other important social institutions, to the detriment of all others. They fear their past sins will be avenged by the majority after the elections.

The Sunnis also fear their power will be totally and forever lost in the election and therefore want the elections delayed and America out of Iraq. The Shi'ites want the elections, which they see as an opportunity to recapture their rightful place as leaders of their own Iraqi destiny.

So what happens if the elections are delayed or America decides to leave Iraq before peace and stability are restored? Chaos? Probably. Civil War? Maybe. A nation partitioned into three or more parts? Quite possibly. Bloodshed? Definitely.

When America departs a war-torn land, we know bloodshed follows. American lives are saved while countless others die.

The insurgents in Iraq learned the real lesson of Vietnam: Any sign of a lack of American resolve or a hasty American withdrawal can mean short-term chaos but a long-term victory for those leading the insurgency.

John E. Carey is a retired U.S. Naval officer and president of International Defense Consultants Inc.

(http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20050115-095708-2766r.htm)

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January 16, 2005

BOAT A SYMBOL OF THE LURE OF FREEDOM
Vietnamese freedom flotilla remembered

By Monica Rodriguez , Staff Writer

POMONA -- A fishing boat that in 1981 carried 15 Vietnamese citizens away from their country in search of freedom is embarking on another voyage this week.

This time the boat's mission is to educate, particularly younger generations of Vietnamese Americans.

"We would like the young generations (to) know how difficult (it) is to have freedom,' said Pomona resident Madalenna Lai, president of the Pomona- based Vietnamese Cultural House.

The tour kicks off shortly before the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, which concluded with the surrender of South Vietnam to the forces of North Vietnam.

Lai said this year also marks 30 years of Vietnamese immigrants making contributions to the United States and other countries where they settled.

Lai began the tour in 2001, but it was put on hold when the Vietnamese Cultural House was invited to enter a float in the 2002 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

The tour is a means of educating youth on the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese who died at sea while fleeing communist Vietnam, said Lai, who is among those who escaped by boat.

For Lora Pham of Montclair, the 35 1/2-foot-long craft that carried its passengers to the Philippines stirs up memories of her own escape from Vietnam on a similar boat 24 years ago.

"It's very emotional. It's still like this thing just happened,' she said recently.

Although Pham and her family escaped, they didn't do so together. Her three oldest boys, who at the time ranged in age from 10 to 13, were sent off first and ended up in Malaysia, she said. Pham, her husband and her youngest child, an 8- year-old boy, left months later and wound up in Indonesia.

The family was eventually reunited in the United States, and settled in Montclair.

When the youth of today see the boat, "they can learn more about why parents left ... Why relatives in Vietnam are so poor and miserable,' Pham said.

The tour also serves to bridge the gap between those who took part in the exodus and those whose knowledge of the experience is limited, said KimOanh Nguyen-Lam, interim executive director of the Center for Language Minority Education and Research at Cal State Long Beach and past president of the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans.

Although figures vary, it's safe to say that about 50 percent of all who attempted to flee actually made it to freedom, while the rest died trying, Nguyen- Lam said.

"Every (Vietnamese) family in California has a close family member who died attempting to escape from Vietnam,' she said.

Efforts are now under way to begin sharing stories of the exodus, stories that can be difficult to tell, she said.

At the same time, there is the goal of instilling an appreciation for the opportunities families have found in this country, Nguyen-Lam said.

The tour also offers those who are not of Vietnamese descent the opportunity to learn about Vietnamese history and culture, she said.

Diep Fintland, vice president of the Vietnamese Cultural House, came to the United States in 1967, but has relatives who fled by boat years later.

As painful as the stories may be, they cannot be forgotten, Fintland said.

"If you don't have a past, you don't have a future,' she said.

The boat's tour will begin with a ceremony to bless the vessel at 10 a.m. Friday at Freedom Park in Westminster.

From there, the boat heads off to Phoenix, Ariz., where it will be on display Saturday and Sunday with the help of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Association of Arizona.

Tao Nguyen, chairman of the association, said that for the last two months he and others in his organization have been distributing fliers at grocery stores and restaurants and sending letters to Vietnamese organizations across the state inviting them to see the boat.

Plans call for the boat to arrive in Washington, D.C., by April 30, in time for ceremonies at the Vietnam Memorial, Lai said.

Monica Rodriguez can be reached at (909) 483-9336 or by e-mail at m_rodriguez@dailybulletin.com.

(http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206~22097~2657590,00.html)

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