Chris Bowen (Prospect, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to make some brief remarks today about human rights in Vietnam. In June I understand the Prime Minister will visit Vietnam. This follows a visit by the Prime Minister of Vietnam to Australia last year. It is important that human rights are on the Prime Minister’s agenda when he visits Vietnam. Vietnam is a consistent poor performer when it comes to political, religious and civil rights. The latest example of this occurred quite recently. On the evening of 16 February this year at Saigon railway station the venerable Thich Quang Do, the second highest official of the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam, was arrested and taken by public security agents as he attempted to lead a peaceful delegation of monks to Binh Dinh province to visit the venerable Thich Huyen Quang, the church’s ill patriarch. There is evidence that the venerable Thich Quang Do was physically assaulted during this melee. Subsequently, about 40 monks staged a sit-in protest at the station, supported by hundreds of angry Buddhists. Presumably as a result of this protest, not long afterwards the security forces released the venerable Thich Quang Do.

This is the latest example of a breach of human rights in Vietnam. Transparency International’s 2004 survey ranked the Vietnamese regime 102nd out of 146 countries. Reporters Without Borders ranked the Hanoi regime 161st out of 167 nations in its 2004 survey.

Yesterday a group of Australians of Vietnamese background came to Parliament House to protest against the abuse of human rights in Vietnam. I was honoured to be able to contribute in a small way by addressing the protest, along with other honourable members—including the honourable member for Blaxland, Senator Conroy, the honourable member for Mitchell, I understand, and, I am sure, others. As I said yesterday to the protest, it is appropriate that they come to the home of Australian democracy, to the place where Australian arguments are battled out in a democratic manner, to argue for democracy in the country of their heritage. As I said to them yesterday, democracy will come to Vietnam. It will not come quickly and it will not come overnight. It will not come unless people like them and their friends and supporters in this place take every opportunity to remind the Vietnamese regime that democracy is not negotiable and that we will not accept any attempts by them to continue their regime at the expense of the human and civil rights of those millions of Vietnamese who live under the dictatorship of the current socialist regime.