This weekend is the tenth anniversary of the Surrey Fusion Festival showcasing food and culture from all over the world. When I stopped by this afternoon there were several banners outside denouncing the Communist government of Vietnam.
One banner refers to Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly a Catholic Priest in Vietnam who Amnesty International adopted as a prisoner of conscience. His support for the Bloc 8406 manifesto led to his sentence on 30 March 2007, for an additional eight years in prison. The second banner also refers to Nguyen Huu Tan who was a Buddhist that died in police custody.
I met Hai Trieu a local activist that has written a book about the Communist oppression in Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin incident may well have been a fraud but the Communist invasion wasn't. Canada should have helped Vietnam repel the invading Communists just like it did for Korea. Our inaction in Vietnam has stained us. What's worse is our apathy now.
Mark my word, the Corporate Communism that has infiltrated Western right wing politics is leading us down the same road towards the destruction of civl liberty and human rights.
Organ Harvesting in Vietnam
We've talked a fair bit about organ harvesting from political prisoners in China. The Falun Gong are imprisoned simply for being Buddhists then executed to order for their organs. Consequently it comes as no surprise to hear that organ trafficking is also a problem in Communist Vietnam.
When I asked Hai Trieu about it he said that organ trafficking isn't done as publically as it is in Communist China. He said in Vietnam it's done under the cloak of darkness. Young men will go missing only to be found later on in the forest with organs removed. Thankfully for some organs you dont have to execute the prisoner they can still live with one kidney. Yet Hai Trieu said frequently young children go missing where they are drugged put on ice and taken away permanently for their organs likely to be used in the open organ trafficking done in China.
Kidneys, newborns, wives for sale: Human trafficking on the rise in Vietnam
Blogging about the atrocities will certainly land you in prison. Last year Amnesty International issued a report about the mistreatment of political prisoners in Vietnam. "Hung from the ceiling and beaten by police - a rare glimpse into the treatment of Vietnam’s political prisoners."
The reason so many Vietnamese Canadians are voicing their concerns to the Surrey Mayor at the Fusion festival is because of the fact that they are letting them display the Communist flag for Vietnam. Many of the Vietnamese Canadians I spoke with have survived starvation in Communist prisons for five to ten years before coming to Canada.
The Vietnamese Canadian Federation sent a letter to Linda Hepner about their concerns. I have a copy of a second letter they sent with the support of 40 other associations. Tom Zillich tweeted a copy of their press release. That's as far as the local media would go with it so I ran with it.
Hai Trieu gave me a copy of a book he coauthored called "The Undaunted Voices for Human Rights in Vietnam." I'm sure it will be a good read. Truth crushed to the earth will rise again simply because no lie can live forever. "What's done in the dark will be brought to the light."
The book starts off with a quote from Victor Hugo which states that "Communism is a dream of somebody but a nightmare of everybody." Buyer Beware. One of the recurring concerns in Vietnam appears to be the obsession to send people to "Re education" camps.
The Undaunted Voices for Human Rights in Vietnam interviews several witness testifying to various forms of human rights abuses in Vietnam. The first witness is a Bhudist monk named Thich Khong Tanh who is seen in the picture lighting insence in the temple ruins.
The book next interviews Father Phan Van Loi who itemized the Comunist inconsistensies.
The list of witnesses goes one and on:
Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh is in jail while his wife is being persecuted.
Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly
Ta Phong Tan - Blogger
Chau Thi Hoang - Mother of Truong Quoc Huy
Phan Thanh Hai - Blogger
thank you for providing this information. although I was aware of organ harvesting in Communist China I was not aware it was going on in Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteIts good to have a local blog report on groups who work on behalf of those internationally. your report gives local perspective on the issues, such as political prisoners and organ harvesting. We as Canadians can pressure our politicians to take a stand on issues such as organ harvesting and make it clear we know about it and disapprove.
Its great protestors were out informing the public about this also.
As to having Linda Heppner do anything to keep the communist flag of Vietnam flying, good luck with that. don't think that woman thinks much about anything except herself and her financial supporters.
Speaking of financial supporters, that is exactly the reason why so many "in power" do not want to make any waves about Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteVietnam is trying to rival/co-compete with China for manufacturing and more and more goods are coming from Vietnam; especially textiles.
So, if those reading this have a conscience (conscious?) and you see goods in the store with a 'Made in Vietnam' label, do not buy it. Keep looking and buy something made in the British Commonwealth or the USA or Europe.
We might not have the democratic voice in regards to these concerns, but you can "vote" with your pocketbook as well as making sure you tell one and all why you will not buy Vietnamese made goods and why they should not either.