Ed Royce: “As author of this resolution, I rise in support of House Resolution 20, calling on the State Department to list the…”

“As author of this resolution, I rise in support of House Resolution 20, calling on the State Department to list the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as a Country of Particular Concern with respect to religious freedom. I would like to share with the Members in this body today that the House of Representatives has an opportunity to send a very strong message to the Communist government in Vietnam. And that message, if we pass this resolution, is that its abuses against peaceful religious practitioners of all faiths and all creeds are unacceptable. As we reflect for a minute on some of the conditions that those who practice their faith have to contend with in Vietnam, you think about the 350 Montagnard Christians who remain imprisoned for their beliefs, other religious groups like the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Hoa Hao Buddhists, the Cao Dai Buddhists. They face severe persecution from the Communist government of Vietnam.”