WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), member of both the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, gave the following statement during a hearing to address the human rights conditions in Vietnam:

We received some good news the other day. It appears as if Viet Tan party member and U.S. citizen Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan will be coming home very soon. All of us here are familiar with the story of Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, who was arrested on November 17, 2007 along with 5 other democracy activists for distributing pro-democracy leaflets. This peaceful dissent landed him in a Vietnamese prison, where he's been ever since.

For the crime of passing out pieces of paper, the Vietnamese government charged Dr. Quan as a "terrorist" in a sham trial that lasted less than six hours. The charge of terrorism here is laughable. Dr. Quan didn't come to Vietnam armed with guns and ammo. He came armed with ideas. Evidently, the one-party government in Vietnam sees this as just as dangerous.

While the news of Dr. Quan's imminent release is heartening, we should not forget that hundreds more remain imprisoned under similar circumstances for their peaceful political and religious beliefs. Hanoi continues its oppression of religious freedom and human rights... just as it has been doing for decades. In the Foreign Affairs Committee- on which I am a member - we have had several hearings on Vietnamese human rights violations. The song has remained the same, as we continue to hear testimony on the disregard for religious freedom, political dissent, and other basic human rights.

In their most recent report, Human Rights Watch tells of Nguyen Vu Binh, who "is serving a seven-year sentence for espionage after participating in internet discussions about democracy." Indeed, Vietnamese officials have brought their harassment of religious leaders, political dissidents, and student activists to new, draconian levels.

In Congress, it is important that we continue to speak out against Vietnam's continued human rights violations, like we are doing today, but there is more we can do. It is critical that the Senate pass the Vietnam Human Rights Act. Unfortunately, the actions of a few in the other body have stopped all progress. This is unacceptable, and if the Senate is serious about addressing this issue, they need to act.

But another important issue is freedom of the press. Of particular concern to me is the control over the media that the Vietnamese government has put in place. Newspapers, television and radio stations remain under strict government control. Again, in its annual report on freedom of the press, the NGO Freedom House listed Vietnam as "not-free," noting that more than a dozen journalists were imprisoned last year for pushing for a more open media.

As longtime dissident Dr. Nguyen Dan Que correctly stated some years ago, "The state hopes to cling to power by brain-washing the Vietnamese people through stringent censorship and through its absolutist control over what information the public can receive." This is why I have been so supportive of Radio Free Asia's broadcasts to Vietnam - so people can actually learn what is going on in their country.

U.S.-backed Radio Free Asia is a "surrogate" broadcasting service, acting as a free press for Vietnam would if the Communist government in Hanoi would allow one to flourish. I authored legislation to expand Radio Free Asia's (RFA) broadcasts in this critical region of the world. With the Vietnam Human Rights Act, Radio Free Asia will now be better able to bring objective news – the truth – to the Vietnamese people.

RFA launched its Vietnamese service in February 1997. Vietnam has a history of heavily jamming RFA - jamming it since the first day of its broadcasts. RFA employs six times the frequencies than it would to a non-jamming country. It is difficult to describe in words what the jamming is like. A faint voice can barely be heard over all the "stuff" that is created by the Vietnamese government. If you want to hear what it sounds like, contact my office, where we have a sample of a typical jammed RFA program by the Vietnamese. I wonder what news the communist regime is afraid of?

Vietnam's efforts to block radio broadcasts from Radio Free Asia tells me that not only are these broadcasts having a positive effect in combating state propaganda, but Hanoi is feeling increased political pressure.

To conclude, I would like to just mention the importance of applying political pressure on Vietnam. We know that Hanoi is sensitive to criticism and is overly conscious of its image abroad. When I met with Thich Quang Do and Le Quang Liem in Saigon, I was immediately denounced. This showed me that the government is listening to what we say - and it has impact.

We need to tell Hanoi that if we are going to bolster our relations with Vietnam, it must embrace political pluralism in all of its forms. Silencing dissidents and suppressing religious freedoms are not the ways towards a close partnership.

It is time for Vietnam to emerge from the dark ages and embrace freedom, the rule of law and universal human rights.