VARIOUS BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2007 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m. in room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Tom Lantos (chairman of the committee) presiding. Chairman LANTOS. Committee will come to order. Before we begin our regular work, the chairman is pleased to recognize Mr. Payne for a brief statement. Mr. PAYNE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have been given to understand from staff that there are some concerns that the timing may not be right to move ahead with consideration of H.R. 2003, the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007, at today's markup. As I am sure you are aware, the bill was reported out of subcommittee without objection earlier this month and currently has 83 co-sponsors. While I am disappointed that the bill will not be acted on today, I look forward to it moving in September and would quickly like to make two points. One, I am sensitive about the ongoing dialogue between the Government of Ethiopia and the opposition related to the release of political prisoners. As you know, they have been in prison for close to 2 years. And we saw the release of 38 after they signed a letter saying they were responsible for the problem, which I questioned however. My awareness of the status of the dialogue is part of the reason I delayed the introduction of the bill earlier this year and agreed to postpone markup of the bill by the full committee last month. Secondly, I would like to point out to my colleagues that the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act addresses much more than detention of political prisoners. Its purpose is not to punish the Ethiopian Government but to promote accountability for the killing of nearly 200 innocent civilians by government security forces, build institutions of democracy, provide meaningful support for human rights, provide support for the healthcare, provide support for infrastructure and water. So this is not just about one issue. It is a benefit to Ethiopia, concluding brutal acts committed on behalf of the government against the political opposition have gone unpunished. This is deplorable. Congress cannot remain silent in the face of impunity. Regardless of whether the government actually follows through with the release of political prisoners this week, much more needs to be done in order to promote the rule of law and respect for fundamental (1) freedoms in Ethiopia, an ally of ours, and we can no longer continue to allow them to do what they are doing. So, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your co-sponsorship of the bill. I appreciate the support that you have shown for the bill as I have brought it forward. You have shown the best of intentions by scheduling a markup twice. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to seeking this legislation to be moved when we reconvene in September when hopefully the timing will not be so delicate. I appreciate your support up to this time. Thank you. Chairman LANTOS. I want to thank my friend from New Jersey for his thoughtful and carefully crafted statement. The chair is pleased to recognize the ranking member for a statement. You will pass? Okay. Pursuant to notice, I call up the bill, H.R. 3096, Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2007, for purposes of markup and move its favorable recommendation to the House. Without objection, the amendment in the nature of a substitute before the members will be treated as the base text for purposes of amendment. It will be considered as read and will be open for amendment at any point. [The information referred to follows:] Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. WOLF, Mr. A BILL To promote freedom and democracy in Vietnam. TITLE I-PROHIBITION ON NONHUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM 2 Sec. 101. Bilateral nonhumanitarian assistance. TITLE II-ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY IN VIETNAM Sec. 201. Assistance. TITLE III-UNITED STATES PUBLIC DIPLOMACY Sec. 301. Radio Free Asia transmissions to Vietnam. Sec. 302. United States educational and cultural exchange programs with Viet nam. TITLE IV-UNITED STATES REFUGEE POLICY Sec. 401. Refugee resettlment for nationals of Vietnam. TITLE V-ANNUAL REPORT ON PROGRESS TOWARD FREEDOM Sec. 501. Annual report. 1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Congress finds the following: (1) The relationship between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has grown substantially over the past 12 years, with annual trade between the 2 countries reaching over $9,000,000,000 per year. (2) The Government of Vietnam's transition toward greater economic freedom and trade has not been matched by greater political freedom and sub stantial improvements in human rights for many Vietnamese. (3) The United States Congress agreed to Vietnam becoming an official member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2006, amidst assur ances that the Vietnamese Government was steadily 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 3 improving its human rights record and would con tinue to do so. (4) Vietnam remains a one-party state, ruled and controlled by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), which continues to deny the right of citizens to change their government. (5) Although in recent years the National As sembly of Vietnam has played an increasingly active role as a forum for highlighting local concerns, cor ruption, and inefficiency, the National Assembly re mains subject to the direction of the CPV and the CPV maintains control over the selection of can didates in national and local elections. (6) The Government of Vietnam forbids public challenge to the legitimacy of the one-party state, re stricts freedoms of opinion, the press, and associa tion and tightly limits access to the Internet and telecommunication. (7) Since Vietnam's accession to the WTO on January 11, 2007, the Vietnamese Government arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned several individuals for their peaceful advocacy of democracy, including Father Nguyen Van Ly and human rights lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan. |