TEXT: SUMMARY OF STATE DEPARTMENT HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT ON VIETNAM
(Government continues to commit numerous abuses)

Washington -- The government's human rights record in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam continued to be poor in 1996, according to the State Department's most recent Human Rights Report on Vietnam.

The report, released January 30, says: "The Government continued to repress basic political and some religious freedoms and to commit numerous abuses."

While the Vietnamese Communist Party moved to reform procedures and debate within itself, the report says the government denied citizens the right to change their government and significantly restricted freedom of speech, the press, assembly, association, privacy, and religion.

It also arbitrarily arrested and detained citizens, including detention for peaceful expression of political and religious objections to government policies, and denied them the right to a fair and expeditious trial. "The Government continued its longstanding policy of not tolerating most types of public dissent and of prohibiting independent religious, political, and labor organizations," the report adds.

Following is the official text of the opening summary to the State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996 on Vietnam:

(begin text)

VIETNAM

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) is a one-party state controlled by the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP). The VCP's constitutionally mandated leading role and the occupancy of all senior government positions by Party members ensures the primacy of Politburo guidelines. The National Assembly, chosen in elections in which all candidates are approved by the Party, remains largely subservient to the VCP, as does the judiciary. Most Assembly members belong to the VCP. The National Assembly played a stronger role than in the past by seriously debating and revising proposed legislation. The Government is working to reduce formal involvement of the Party in government operations, and government officials have some latitude in implementing policies. The Government continued to restrict significantly civil liberties on national security grounds.

The military services are responsible for external defense, including the border defense force. While they have no direct responsibility for maintaining internal security, the military forces are seeking to establish for themselves a role in public education and campaigns against perceived threats to society. The Ministry of Interior is responsible for internal security. It controls the police, a special national security investigative agency, and other units that maintain internal security. Acting under the control of the Party and the Government, the Ministry enforces laws and regulations that significantly restrict individual liberties and violate other human rights. The Ministry of Interior also maintains a system of household registration and block wardens to monitor the population, concentrating on those suspected of engaging, or being likely to engage, in unauthorized political activities. Members of the security forces committed human rights abuses.

Vietnam is a very poor country undergoing a transition from a centrally planned to a more market-oriented economy. Agriculture, primarily rice cultivation, employs two-thirds of the work force and accounts for one-third of gross domestic product (GDP). As a result of reforms, the country has experienced rapid growth in many industries, including construction, petroleum, textiles, and light manufacturing. Exports, led by crude oil, rice, marine products, textiles, and foodstuffs, have increased sharply. Estimated annual GDP per capita has increased to approximately $300. Particularly in urban areas, economic reforms have raised the standard of living and reduced party and government control over, and intrusion into, people's daily lives.

The Government's human rights record continued to be poor. The Government continued to repress basic political and some religious freedoms and to commit numerous abuses. While the VCP moved to reform procedures and debate within itself, the Government denied citizens the right to change their government and significantly restricted freedom of speech, the press, assembly, association, privacy, and religion. The Government arbitrarily arrested and detained citizens, including detention for peaceful expression of political and religious objections to government policies, and denied them the right to a fair and expeditious trial. The Government continued its longstanding policy of not tolerating most types of public dissent and of prohibiting independent religious, political, and labor organizations. There were credible reports that security officials beat detainees. Prison conditions were harsh. Societal discrimination and violence against women remained problems. Trafficking in children for prostitution within Vietnam and to other countries grew, although the Government moved to combat the problem.

Within still narrow parameters, the National Assembly and the press engaged in increasingly vigorous debate on legal, economic, and social issues, and there was continued progress in building a legal infrastructure. In July a new Civil Code took effect that included an administrative court system to deal with complaints about abuse and corruption by state officials. The trend toward reduced government interference in people's daily lives continued, as did the trend toward economic liberalization. The Government allowed people slightly greater freedom of expression and assembly to protest grievances, but intermittently restricted some activities of clergy. There were credible reports that some political prisoners were denied visitation rights and that certain prisons employ the use of forced labor, sometimes as part of commercial ventures.

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