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Clinton Criticizes Vietnamese Rights Abuses
July 26, 2010
By; Benjamin Russell | Printer Friendly

In Hanoi this week for a regional security forum, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern over alleged human rights abuses on the part of the Vietnamese government, according to VOA News.

At a press conference with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Clinton said that Vietnam was on the “path to becoming a great nation,” but added that she was troubled by “the arrest and conviction of people for peaceful dissent, attacks on religious groups and curbs on Internet freedom.”

Vietnam’s communist government has been accused of unjustly arresting democracy advocates under the pretense of a strict national security law.  They also routinely detain and harass anti-government bloggers and block access to social media and networking websites like Facebook, according to the New York Times.   

Foreign Minister Khiem responded to Clinton’s remarks by quoting the American president, saying, "President Obama said there is no perfect way and each country should select their own way depending on the circumstances of the nation, and the human rights values shouldn't be imposed from the outside."

Despite her criticism, Clinton said that the United States would continue working with Vietnam in a cooperative and productive manner.   She promised that the US would make major efforts to clean up remnants of “Agent Orange,” the defoliant used during the Vietnam War that has been blamed for causing illness and birth defects.

Clinton also assured that the US economic relationship with Vietnam would remain strong.  Trade between the two countries has risen dramatically under a trade pact that went into effect in 2001, and totaled nearly $16 billion last year, according to the Economist.

Sources:

Reuters – Clinton Raises Concerns over Vietnam’s Rights Record

The Economist – Internet Diplomacy: Tie it to Growth

New York Times – In Hanoi, Clinton Criticizes Vietnam on Rights Issues

VOA News – In Vietnam, Clinton Hails Relations, Cites Human Rights Concerns