Jose Luis Correa: “Today, I rise to address this body, and I demand that the Government of Vietnam respect human rights, religious freedom…”

“Today, I rise to address this body, and I demand that the Government of Vietnam respect human rights, religious freedom, and international law as it pertains to an American citizen, Michael Nguyen, who is being held without formal charges, under arrest in Vietnam. This unjust imprisonment raises issues, especially since he has never broken the law in the United States. He is a loving father, member of the local church, business owner, and model American citizen. Yet, when he was traveling to Vietnam to visit his elderly relatives, he was arrested. Why? We don't know. Apparently, he has been arrested for ``activity against the people's government,'' yet we don't know the circumstances or the reasoning. We ask one very simple thing from the Government of Vietnam: to play by the rules, respect human rights, respect religious freedom, and release Mr. Michael Nguyen, an American citizen who is being detained without formal charges. Mr. Speaker, I urge that he be safely released and that he be returned to his family in the United States.”