Reason should be listened to
18/5/16
Spokesperson
for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Rupert Colville has recently had
inaccurate and biased words based on wrongful information about recent mass gatherings
that took place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the name of ‘protecting the
environment’ using the context of an environmental incident that caused mass
deaths of fish in Vietnam’s central provinces.
That Colville’s concerns about “the increasing
levels of violence perpetrated against Vietnamese protesters expressing their
anger over the mysterious mass deaths of fish along the country’s central
coast,” and “some women and children were among those arrested and hurt,” are
groundless and totally erroneous.
The International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights stipulates that people’s rights and freedom must be exercised
within laws, without affecting security, public order, moral standards, public
health and the rights and interests of other individuals. As a responsible member
of the international community, Vietnam has always respected international
conventions on human rights and at the same time adopted measures that comply
with its laws and other international standards to ensure security and safety
for its people, especially the elderly, women and children. Only law breakers
are punished.
Clearly, in the recent mass gatherings in the
name of “environment protection”, hostile elements, including those from the
US-based terrorist organization Viet Tan, organized gatherings attempted to
provoke disturbances into a riot to overthrow the regime. Conspiring with
hostile forces inside and outside the country, they incited people, including
juveniles and ex-convicts, to gather at public places. They even set up support
teams to deliver water, bread and money to participants and used social
networks to inflame actions against those who worked to ensure social order.
The Vietnamese authorized forces arrested two people who got money from the
Viet Tan organization to collect and circulate distorted materials and photos
inciting people to protest against the State.
It is not hard to find out the hostile
elements’ real intention, given that a political event of special significance
to Vietnamese people is coming closer – which is the election of deputies to
the 14th National Assembly and the People’s Councils at all
levels where the people are able to manifest their strong will and aspirations,
exercise their citizen and human rights.
Through provocative behaviors, reactionary
forces are conspiring to destroy the election by any means, causing political
and security instability with a hidden aim of overthrowing the regime.
Therefore, measures taken by the Vietnamese
State over recent time are to safeguard socio-political stability and people’s
lives. Law-breaking acts that threaten the common interest of the community and
basic interests of the country should be punished in line with the law – an
action that every sovereign country in the world must take. Does Rupert
Colville not understand?
When Colville asked for the Vietnamese
authorities to “ensure that all the persons negatively affected, in this case
fishermen, have access to effective remedies”, it seems that he yet got updated
about Vietnam’s situation, or does he deliberately turn a blind eye to the
measures that the Vietnamese government, ministries, agencies and localities
have adopted to address the environmental incident?
Is there any likelihood that Colville is
either unaware of or is intentionally ignoring Vietnam’s drastic support to
fishermen, as well as a series of long-term solutions to restoring production
and settling down victims’ lives?
Affected fishermen and fish breeders have been
provided with rice, cash, and low-interest loans with rescheduled payments to
continue farming. Safe fish outlets have been set up in localities, thus
stabilizing seafood market and assuring fishermen to continue going to the seas
to earn a living.
Under the close and drastic guidance of the
Government, authorities as well as Vietnamese and foreign scientists are
promptly investigating the case and identifying the cause of the incident. The
Vietnamese State has reiterated many times it will not forgive any individuals
or organizations if they violate the law and cause this environmental incident.
Such a fact is clear, but Colville’s words are
misleading and distorting Vietnam’s human rights issue.
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