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- Organization: Vietnam Insight
- Editor: Chan Tran
- Address: PO Box 7826, San Jose, CA 95150, USA
- Phone: (408) 226-2261
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- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
- Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 18:35:31 PST
- Sender: Southeast Asia Discussion List <SEASIA-L@MSU.BITNET>
- Comments: <Parser> W: FROM field duplicated. Last occurrence was retained.
- From: Vietnam Insight <vinsight@NETCOM.COM>
- Subject: VI: Worldwide campaign for political prisoners continues
- Lines: 137
-
- WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES...
- **************
- Vietnamese in Australia March for Freedom
- **************
-
- *
-
- ADELAIDE, December 10, 1992: More than a hundred local Vietnamese and
- friends joined in a rally and demonstration in front of the House of
- Representatives of South Australia, urging the restoration of human
- rights in Vietnam.
-
- Five thousands leaflets regarding the worldwide campaign on behalf of
- the Vietnamese political prisoners were distributed.
-
- An appeal urging Hanoi to release all political prisoners was given to
- Mr. John Quirke, who represented the Governor of South Australia at the
- rally.
-
- Representatives of Amnesty International, Mr. Michael Puckeridge;
- leaders of political parties such as Ian Gilfillan of the Democratic
- Party in South Australia, Julian Stefani of the Freedom Party, Michael
- Atkinson of the Labor Party, and Congressman Bob Catley all took turn at
- the podium to express their support for the Vietnamese democratic
- efforts.
-
- More than 600 signatures of support were collected during the event.
-
- *
-
- SYDNEY, December 10-11, 1992: 14 Vietnamese hunger strikers from all
- walk of life: former Hanoi's political prisoners, students, religious
- leaders, writers, political activists, joined with hundreds of others to
- demand freedom for their beloved compatriots at home.
-
- The two days event with vigil for freedom, demonstrations, and appeal
- for supports attracted a scores of local media and supporters.
-
- Among participants was Mr. Vo Dai Ton, the well-known leader of a
- pro-democracy movement who was captured and imprisoned by Hanoi while on
- his way back to Vietnam from Australia to fight for the cause in 1981.
- Mr. Ton was released in September 1991 under diplomatic pressure,
- especially that of the Australian government.
-
- Petitions for the release of the political prisoners in Vietnam was
- handed to Mrs. Liz Watson, chairwoman of Amnesty International in
- Australia, Senator Michael Egan, and Mr. Bob Carp, representing the
- Australian opposition party.
-
- There were also 2,200 signatures and messages of supports received from
- government leaders, opposition leaders, organizations, and other ethnic
- communities and organizations within Australia.
-
- *
-
- BRISBANE, December 5, 1992: two petition drives and demonstrations
- were launched on the same day at the West End and Alana of the city on
- behalf of the political prisoners in Vietnam.
-
-
- ***********
- Other Parts of the World
- ***********
-
- Across the ocean and joining in spirit, the Vietnamese rallied in
- protest of the oppressive rule in Vietnam, demanding the return of
- rights and freedom to their homeland:
-
- *
-
- PARIS - France, December 10, 1992: More than 200 Vietnamese rallied at
- the Des Drots de L'Homme Square upon the International Human Rights Day
- to emphasize the related issue: violations of human rights in Vietnam.
-
- A second list of political prisoners published by the National United
- Front for the Liberation of Vietnam (NUFRONLIV) was introduced, which
- brought the confirmed number of political prisoners in Vietnam to 538, a
- fractional revelation of the estimated 32,000 cases throughout Vietnam.
-
- According to the local "Committee for Political Prisoners," there have
- been 4,000 signatures of supports received; and 18 members of the French
- Parliament have expressed their support for the movement.
-
- *
-
- FRANKFURT - Germany, December 5, 1992: A large crowd of Vietnamese and
- friends, including representatives of various organizations and
- government officials, turned out at the Hauptwache Square for a day of
- dedication to "Freedom and Religious Rights for Vietnam."
-
- The estimated 800 crowd peacefully marched through the city's central
- streets, holding high placards demanding the end of oppression in
- Vietnam and the return of freedom to the people.
-
- Participants distributed 7000 leaflets and collected more than 700
- signatures of support throughout the event.
-
- News of the event was later reported by the Frankfurt Allgemelne (the
- city's largest newspaper) and the television channel of Hessen
- State. Reuters and other local media were also present.
-
- *
-
- BRUXELLES, Belgium, December 10-12: the three days event - a 24-hour
- hunger strike and demonstration - took place at the Place de la Monnale
- square in the freezing cold of Belgium winter.
-
- Sitting in subzero temperature to address the ordeal of his compatriots
- at home, a hunger striker later related his overcoming of the difficulty
- by "thinking of the much worse sufferings the political prisoners are
- enduring in Vietnam."
-
- Expressing his concern and support, Count Yvan De Wynter, a long time
- supporters of the Vietnamese democratic effort, said he was moved by the
- participants' dedication and hoped that freedom will soon prevail in
- Vietnam.
-
- More than 5,000 signatures of support were collected. The event was later
- broadcast to Vietnam by the BBC on December 13, 1992.
-
- *
-
- ARHUS (November 14, 1992) and HJORRING (November 20-21, 1992) - Denmark:
- Petition drives in both cities have collected more than 600 signatures
- of support for the campaign.
-
- *
-
- ILLINOIS - United States, November 21, 1992: Vietnamese of the Quad
- City and local areas held a successful conference to campaign for the
- release of political prisoners in Vietnam. Petition drives has also been
- included in the local agenda.
-
-
- --
- Vietnam Insight (vinsight@netcom.com)
- Chan Tran, editor
-