Vietnam-born US lawmaker pleads for religious freedom

(AFP) – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON — The sole Vietnamese American member of the US Congress deplored Tuesday what he called worsening repression in his native country and appealed for pressure on Hanoi to respect religious freedom.

Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao, who fled to the United States when he was eight, also called on his adopted country to be more generous in taking Vietnamese refugees -- particularly ethnic minority Montagnards.

Testifying before a congressional panel, the Republican lawmaker voiced hope that Vietnam's recent releases of two high-profile dissidents showed that Hanoi is "aware and listening" to US criticism.

"I would ask that the leadership of the State Department and our diplomats convey unequivocally to the government of Vietnam that improvement in relations between the two countries, through trade or otherwise, cannot happen without an improvement of human rights and religious freedom," Cao said.

"To this end, I call on the government of Vietnam to release all prisoners of conscience and give back to all religions the right to conduct the principles of their faith," said Cao, a devout Roman Catholic.

In January, Cao paid his first visit to Vietnam since 2001 on conditions that he not meet with dissidents or hold news conferences.

Cao voiced outrage that days after his visit, hundreds of police and troops tried to dismantle a crucifix on church property in My Duc district. A priest said parishioners were seriously injured, an account denied by state media.

The congressman expressed concern that the United States has not been more active in accepting Vietnamese as refugees -- particularly Montagnards, a largely Christian hill tribe who backed US forces during the Vietnam War.

"Despite the continued pattern of serious human rights violations by the government of Vietnam against a broad range of persons it considers its adversaries, in recent years US acceptance of refugees from Vietnam for resettlement has slowed to a trickle," he said.

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