CHARTER 2000 OF VIETNAM

MANIFESTO

Considering that:

- The disastrous communist regime of Vietnam which labels the borrowed terms “INDEPENDENCE - FREEDOM - HAPPINESS” as national objectives for so many decades has not accomplished any of them. First of all, this regime follows and practices the foreign doctrine of Marxist-Leninism. Having been a voluntary servant for an international ism and placed itself under the command of the international system concerned, Vietnam’s NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE has never come true. With regard to FREEDOM and HAPPINESS: the whole country has turned to a giant prison, besides its poverty and backwardness.

- The Communist Party of Vietnam has committed many crimes in the past half century, responsible for the killing of more than one million people, as summarized in “the Black Book of Communism” - a research work recognized worldwide by Stephane Courtois (ed.). In reality, the number of victims has been much higher.

- The crimes of the Communist Party and its certain members against the people of Vietnam need be denounced before the world community, and as the cases warranted, need be tried and sentenced against the major culprits.

- The Marxist-Leninist doctrine - in general, and the class struggle theory - in particular, are the ideological cause of all criminal acts committed by the Communist Party of Vietnam and the disastrous effects that the country has had to endure. As a result of the application of this doctrine with its totalitarian regime, Vietnam has fallen to the bottom of the world’s development ladder, together with the stripping of all the basic rights of its citizens.

- The standard of “HAPPINESS” for all the peoples on this planet can be illustrated in the degrees of “physical” advancement and “spiritual” backgrounds; of which, the country’s per capita GDP is a good physical standard and the “Freedoms” and “Human Rights” as well as the “cultural, social, religious environment” in which the people live - which is humanity-oriented, ensuring human security, serving the people’s welfare, and enhancing the people’s life - are spiritual. With respect to Vietnam, the world community at large all notices: (1) Freedoms and Human Rights in Vietnam are severely violated, especially freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, freedom to form or join trade unions, freedom of movement - especially going abroad, and the right to vote or to run for public offices in free elections, and (2) the society of Vietnam today is in disparity with a clique of rulers abusing power to freely sweat off the people, on the one side, and the majority of the masses - who live in poverty and endure oppression, under the yoke of the totalitarian dictatorship of the Communist Party, on the other side. This Party lets the whole society suffer its monopolized leadership through Clause 4 of the Constitution. The corruption and pocketing of public funds puts all the national mechanisms on the verge of paralysis and produces bad effects on all the nation’s activities. In the meantime, other social disorders such as drug trafficking, AIDS, smuggling, sex tour etc. are becoming epidemic which threaten to destroy the safe and good living of individuals, families and the whole society. That is the picture of “HAPPINESS” of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

- The genuine FREEDOMS and HUMAN RIGHTS are universal and inherent rights, cannot be taken away, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and relevant International Covenants that Vietnam is a signatory, has the obligation to observe.

- The Constitution and the legal system of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam today are under the form only, not substantial, as the citizens’ rights mentioned in the Constitution are on paper alone, with the clauses concerned being followed by such terms as “in accordance with current laws and regulations” which are subject to serious abuses of the “jungle laws” of communist Vietnam: These “current laws and regulations” - as noticed - are arbitrary or discretionary - in favour of the Communist Party and State: few laws have been passed by the puppet National Assembly but the country is mostly governed by the Directives and Memoranda issued by the government and its departments, which in many cases are fabricated in accordance with the Party's purposes. Typical are Directive 31/CP on “Administrative Internment” being famous all over the world and Memorandum #02/1999/TT/TGCP on “State management on Caodaism” which forces that the Seal of the Church has to be approved by the provincial security police before it can be engraved! Clause 4 of the Constitution further legalizes the Lordship of the Communist Party over the society, setting path for the Party to stand above the law, as no opposition forces and no independent press or media are available to exert the functions of criticizm, protest, denouncement or prepare to replace the ruling party following its term of office. The whole system belongs to the State under a monopolized Party . This is completely against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 19, 20 and 21) and relevant International Covenants, as well as the Warsaw Democracy Declaration (June 27, 2000).

- Vietnam’s “Market Economy under the Socialist Directions” is bringing the Nation into a cul-de-sac as “the Socialist Directions” continue to keep the economy under control and command of the Communist Party with a system of disastrous state firms being the leading force of the economy . This “Half Way Renovation” Model, with numerous obstacles emerging in itself, cannot create full momentum to stimulate the economy to develop fully and acceleratingly, in response to the harsch competition scenarios of world market in the globalization and information age.

- The rulers in Vietnam today only represent the Communist Party, not the people of Vietnam. They had seized power, and after that, continued to maintain power by force instead of through a democratic process.

Due to the above reasons, the Viet democratic movements centering around and associating with Charter 2000 SOLEMNLY DECLARE:

1- Moving forward to the formation of a genuine Democracy for Vietnam by canvassing the people to rise up to claim for their economic and democratic rights as proclaimed by CHARTER 2000’s Full Version, at the same time with this MANIFESTO.

2- The consequences of the “totalitarian dictatorship” of Vietnam will be resolved in accordance with international law, the laws of the democratic Vietnam which will be formed, in conforming with the world’s trend of resolving the crimes against humanity or causing disastrous effects on the country. This policy aims at bringing about justice, in paralleling with a reconciliation policy which prohibits any revenges. A justice committee with appropriate authority can be created by Vietnam’s future democratic National Assembly to deal with this matter.

3- Charter 2000 calls for the International Community to back up the democratic movements in Vietnam. These movements will be stirred up by “the Citizens’ Forum” formed at the Paris Conference of November 25-26, 2000 to claim for the rights of the people, in order to uphold the standards set for by the U.N. Charter (Article 55, Clause c), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and relevant International Covenants, and the Warsaw Democracy Declaration.

4- As a first step, in order to move to a civil society - a premise for a genuine democracy for Vietnam to be formed, Charter 2000 - through its Citizens’ Forum - initiates the people’s risings to claim for the most essential rights stated in the following Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

(1) The right of everyone to take part in the government of his country, through free and fair elections, by universal and equal suffrage, secret and direct vote, periodic term (Article 21). This right is further clarified in the Warsaw Declaration as the term "open to multiple parties" being publicly stated in its first democratic principle.

(2) The right of everyone to freedom of peaceful assembly and association (Article 20)

(3) The right of everyone to freedom of opinion and expression, i.e. freedom of the press and media ( Article 19).

(4) The right of everyone to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 18). In order for this right to be materialized in Vietnam, it is necessary to recover the operations of the traditional churches and return the churches’ properties which were seized by the State of Vietnam and its organs, to their legitimate owners. At the same time, it is necessary to fully recover the right to practice religion and preach religious faith, the right to publish and disseminate religious prayer books, newspapers/magazines, as well as other activities of the traditional churches in the cultural, educational, charitable and social domains.

(5) The right of everyone to form or join trade unions ( Article 23)

(6) The right of everyone to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, medical care, social services; the right to education; and the right to rest and pleasure in reasonable working hours and periodic holidays with pay (Articles 25, 26 & 24); further upgraded by the economic rights such as the right to the enjoyment of just and favorable conditions of work, especially for women, in such areas as wages, safe and healthy working conditions, equal opportunity etc., stated in Article 7 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

To materialize the above basic rights, and to create an exit for the nation’s deadlock, moving the country toward a market economy capable of responding to the globalization and toward a genuine democracy; Charter 2000 - through its Citizens’ Forum, will canvass the people to rise up to pressure for the abolition of Clause 4 of the Constitution, as the first step, before moving further to stop the implementation of the 1992 Constitution, to form a transitional national body open up to negotiations to seek solutions for the matters of the country, moving forward to free, democratic, just, and multi-party elections in the near future.

Paris, France this 26th Day of November, 2000

On behalf of the Signatories of Charter 2000

The Spokespersons:

Prof. Hach Cao Nguyen, Prof. Cai Dinh Le (U.S.A.)

Dr. Long Ba Nguyen, Attorney-at-Law Tho Chan Lam (Canada & Australia)

Prof. Thuc Quoc Vu, Dr. Thong Dinh Le (Western Europe)

Democracy Activist Hoang Pham, Mr. Thuong Van Duong (Eastern Europe, Russia & Vietnam)

Representing the Spokespersons: Dr. LONG BA NGUYEN