Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak on this motion, which I seconded with the member for Fowler. I congratulate the member for Fowler for moving it and also for his longstanding advocacy for the cause of human rights in Vietnam. It is a matter very close to his heart, as it is to mine and to the hearts of many members across the House.

This motion refers to some individual cases—and these are very concerning individual cases—the case of Nguyen Phuong Uyen, who is aged 21, and the case of Dinh Nguyen Kha, who is aged 25, who have been sentenced to six and eight years respectively. These are very substantial times in prison. This motion is useful because it uses these cases as examples of what is happening in Vietnam. Obviously, by expressing concern about these cases—and we are doing so very strongly—we are using these cases as examples of what is happening in Vietnam more generally.

When you look at the sentences for these two young people, and they are very substantial sentences, it is worth looking at what crimes they are alleged to have committed. They have glued on to a tree trunk a slogan: 'Long An's patriot youths struggle for freedom and human rights'. On a wall they have glued a flag with the slogan '1890 to 1920 – National Flag of Great Vietnam'. They have publicised pictures and pamphlets calling into question the actions of the government and the Communist Party of Vietnam. These are things for which no-one should be imprisoned for even a day let alone six or eight years. These are people who are going about their business exercising their right to freedom of expression, which every single human being should hold. It is a right that the Vietnam government has previously recognised. Vietnam is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 states:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

It is a very clear statement of the rights of the people of Vietnam, which the government of Vietnam has recognised by signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

These two cases are concerning and deeply disturbing. It is appropriate that this motion be considered today, because the Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue is underway today. And it is appropriate that this House expresses this very strong view on this day so that the government of Vietnam can be under no illusions just how concerned members of the Australian Parliament are not only about these two cases but about the human rights of Vietnamese people up and down Vietnam.

Dozens of activists have been jailed since there was a crackdown on freedom of expression, in late 2009. Most people would, I think, correctly reach the conclusion that the government of Vietnam was very concerned about events in the Middle East—the Arab Spring—as one-party states were around the world. They were concerned that the sorts of examples we were seeing in the countries of the Middle East would spread.

There are various ways you can deal with things like that. Unfortunately, it appears the government of Vietnam has chosen to deal with that threat, from their point of view, by not liberalising and not making things better, but by making things worse. That is something we cannot abide.

It is true to say, and it should be recognised, that the government of Vietnam has over recent years introduced some economic reforms. They are good economic reforms. They have unleashed the power of the market and entrepreneurism, to a certain degree, and the Vietnamese economy and people have benefited from this. But that is nowhere near enough. If you are going to liberalise the economy you need to liberalise society as well.

This is not to say that the Australian government would dictate to the government of Vietnam how it should run its country and how it should do its business. But it is right that the Australian Parliament very strongly expresses the view that the human rights of the people of Vietnam should be protected, promoted and enhanced. We need to do this not because it is our right, but because it is our obligation, because the people of Vietnam need somebody to speak on their behalf. The people of Vietnam need somebody to speak up for them, and here in this home of democracy in Australia it is perfectly appropriate that we do so. We have done so before. Motions have been moved in the House before by the member for Fowler, by me and by other honourable members. Back in 2006, I think, we signed a declaration—and I remember the member for Fowler signing it with me—in support of human rights in Vietnam. We organised this in support of the efforts of the pro-democracy group in Vietnam. That pro-democracy group is represented here in the parliament today in the form of representatives of Block 1706, and I recognise their attendance here today: Joachim, Boa Khanh, and the other members of the delegation. They are standing up and have been very strong advocates for the human rights of people in Vietnam, as have those elsewhere, who I recognise today, who could not be in the chamber today. I am referring to other Vietnamese Australians who have very strongly stood up for the rights of Vietnamese people.

That is one thing about the Vietnamese community in Australia: the member opposite correctly referred to the spirit of entrepreneurism and the contribution made by Vietnamese Australians to our country. That is all true and appropriate. The member for Hughes is right to acknowledge that. But the other thing about the Vietnamese community in Australia is that they have not forgotten their brothers and sisters left in Vietnam and they have been, almost universally, in my experience, dedicated to ensuring that their human rights are not forgotten.

Next week, there will be a celebration of the seventh anniversary of bloc 1706. I will be attending and the member for Fowler will be attending, as we have done in the past, because it is important that people in Vietnam putting human rights on the agenda do receive that support and encouragement. At some of those dinners in the past there have been telephone links to human rights activists in Vietnam, where we have personally provided encouragement to priests and others in Vietnam who have been expressing support for their human rights.

These days, it is much harder to suppress people. It is much harder to deny people information through the information revolution. Today, 31 million people use the internet in Vietnam, compared to two million in 2000. The authorities are actively promoting the internet to support economic development and trade—that is a good thing—but they are also determined to control online content and to crack down on those who use the internet to denounce corruption, social inequalities or the lack of freedom of expression. It is deeply concerning that Reporters Without Borders ranks in Vietnam 172nd out of 179 countries in its Press Freedom Index for 2011-12. Criminal penalties apply to authors, publications, websites and internet users who disseminate materials deemed to oppose the government, threaten national security, reveal state secrets or promote 'reactionary' ideas. The government blocks access to politically sensitive websites, requires internet cafe owners to monitor and store information about users' online activities, and subjects independent bloggers and online critics to harassment and pressure. I have seen examples of this repeatedly. So far in 2013, at least 46 activists have been convicted of anti-state activity and sentenced to often lengthy jail terms under what rights groups say are vaguely defined articles of the penal code, most of which are contained in article 88 of the Criminal Code, on 'anti-state propaganda', which carries prison terms of up to 20 years.

This is deeply concerning. I have met, as I said, many Vietnamese Australians who have been courageous in fighting for the cause of democracy in Vietnam, where some of them have suffered great hardship, time in prison and forcible separation from their loved ones, and they have continued that fight here in Australia. It is a fight which they will continue and which we will continue to support them in. As I say, it is right and appropriate that the government of Vietnam be under no illusions as to how strongly members of the Australian parliament feel about these matters.

I have said in the past at various functions that democracy will come to Vietnam—and it will. There is nothing more certain because it will eventually come to all nations. But it will only come because of the courage and tenacity of people who stand up for the rights of Vietnamese people.

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