Ed Royce: “It is important that we honor those in the Armed Forces in the United States and in the armed forces of the Republic of…”

“It is important that we honor those in the Armed Forces in the United States and in the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam who fought together. These brave individuals risked their lives for liberty, and their actions should be honored 25 years now after the fall of Saigon. We must remember their deeds while working for increased political and economic freedom in the socialist Republic of Vietnam. I recently visited Vietnam. During my trip there, I paid a visit to the Venerable Thich Quang Do, who is the 72-year-old leader of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. Because of his peaceful protests, those protests that he engaged in in support of political freedom and religious freedom, Thich Quang Do has been imprisoned and exiled. Even though he was under surveillance, Thich Quang Do welcomed my visit. My private visits to him and Le Quang Liem, another dissident, were quickly denounced by the government. It is obvious the Vietnamese government is sensitive to international criticism. This obligates the United States to speak out constantly against the Vietnamese government's human rights violations. We may not always realize it, but protests by the American government and by the American people do help the cause of freedom in Vietnam. Silence is no alternative.”