Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-26-Speech-4-251"
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"en.20091126.23.4-251"2
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"Mr President, the Commission maintains that in recent years, there has been a substantial improvement in the general political situation in Laos, and agrees with Parliament that the ratification by Laos of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a welcome step towards respect for the freedoms of faith, association, speech and the press. The Commission also welcomes the ratification of the Convention on Disability Rights and the UN Convention against Corruption.
Nevertheless, we are confident about our mature human rights dialogue and cooperation with Vietnam. We believe in constructive engagement. However, in order for such engagement to remain a sustainable option, dialogue and cooperation need to show tangible results.
There will be no better demonstration that dialogue is the best option than Vietnam’s own performance.
In April, the Laos Government approved a decree allowing the formation and registration of national civil society organisations. This marks a significant step towards achieving freedom of association and allowing civil society a role in the development of the country.
However, we share the concerns of Parliament regarding political prisoners. As to the three individuals mentioned by Parliament, the authorities repeated in October 2009 their earlier statement to our delegation in Vientiane, namely that Mr Keochay had already been released in 2002. Two of the other three, Mr Seng-Aloun Phengphanh and Mr Tongpaseuth Keuakaoun, were reported to be in good health. The authorities claim to have no knowledge of Mr Bouvanh Chanmanivong.
The Commission has consulted resident diplomats and others about the alleged arrests of several hundreds of demonstrators in early December 2009. However, we have not been able to confirm the information referred to.
The Commission shares the opinion of Parliament that the detention of 158 people held in Nongkhai requires urgent solution. The Commission calls upon the Laos and Thai Governments to allow the prisoners to resettle in third countries which have offered asylum.
Regarding other Lao Hmong in camps in Thailand, a proper screening should be undertaken in order to determine the status of the offences.
Let me now turn to Vietnam. The Commission shares the concerns of Parliament about recent signs of a more hard-line attitude of the Government of Vietnam on human rights. The recent arrests and trials of peaceful bloggers and human rights defenders, as well as tensions with religious groups such as the peaceful Buddhist community and the Batna monastery, have caused legitimate concern in Europe.
We urge Vietnam, as party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to honour its international human rights commitments and to release all those prisoners, in particular, human rights lawyer, Le Cong Dinh, democracy advocate and writer, Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, and Catholic priest, Father Nguyen Van Ly, who are currently in detention for having peacefully expressed their views.
We also agree that a more independent media would have a useful role to play to channel social discontent peacefully in times of economic stress. That is why we encourage Vietnam to adopt a press law that will be in line with Article 19 of the ICCPR on freedom of expression."@en1
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