On the recordJuly 28, 2010
Earlier this year local authorities in Con Dau, Vietnam, announced the demolition of properties to make way for a tourist resort. No plans for adequate compensation or relocation were offered. At the same time, the government posted a sign forbidding burials in the local church cemetery, which, for more than 100 years, had served as the town's burial site and which the government had recognized as an historical site. On May 4, 2010, Da Nang police intervened in the funeral of Mary Dang Thi Tan, preventing her burial at the cemetery and brutally beating 59 of the mourners. When 43-year-old Mr. Nam Nguyen refused to make false statements to authorities about the mourners, he was beaten by police and died at his home shortly thereafter. Along with many others, this incident shows that the Government of Vietnam has no respect for human rights. To make matters worse, they defended and protected those who committed these outrageous acts. If our Nation is to be recognized as a beacon of democracy and an advocate of human rights, we must demand the same from those we work with, especially from Vietnam, whose human rights record is atrocious. What happened to Mr. Nguyen is an outrage and should be met with condemnation from our government and from this esteemed body.
