[Congressional Bills 104th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Con. Res. 179 Introduced in House (IH)] 104th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 179 To express the sense of Congress that Buddhist monks and civilians and Roman Catholic monks and priests unlawfully detained by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam should be released. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 16, 1996 Mr. Stockman submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations _______________________________________________________________________ CONCURRENT RESOLUTION To express the sense of Congress that Buddhist monks and civilians and Roman Catholic monks and priests unlawfully detained by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam should be released. Whereas twenty-three monks and lay Buddhists have been arrested since the end of October 1994 by the authorities of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Whereas Roman Catholic priests and monks of the order of the Mother Coredemptrix were arrested in 1987 and sentenced to long prison terms in 1988 on charges of ``undermining the policy of unity'' and ``disruption of public security''; Whereas these arrests demonstrate a continuing repression of Buddhists and Catholics in Vietnam and a flagrant disregard of Vietnam's voiced commitment to religious liberty; Whereas at least some of those arrested are prisoner of conscience, detained solely for exercising their rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion; Whereas there are currently at least thirty-six Buddhists in detention in Vietnam; Whereas some of those in detention have been imprisoned since the late 1970's and early 1980's; and Whereas the leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church is imprisoned, as are advocates of political reform and pluralism: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the Congress that the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam should immediately release all Buddhist monks and civilians and all Roman Catholic monks and priests currently being unlawfully detained in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. <all>