Loretta Sanchez was elected to the House of Representatives in November 1996. She has since then become a member of Congress in five terms and a representative for the 47^th Congressional District of California where a large number of Vietnamese nationals are residing. While many of them are still making contributions to the homeland, several groups of people, under the label of fighting for democracy and human rights, continue carrying out ill-intentioned activities in an attempt to sabotage Vietnam and Vietnam-US relations.

According to Los Angeles Times, Sanchez’s aim is to gather support from Vietnamese American voters in the upcoming election to win the post of California State Governor. To this end, following a plan made by a reactionary organisation operating in the US called the Vietnam Reform Party, she came to Vietnam to meet relatives of several elements who were arrested by the Vietnamese Government on the charge of propagandising against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. By doing so, she hoped to help this reactionary organisation carry out activities against Vietnam prior to the election of deputies to the 12^th National Assembly on May 20.

Instead of paying attention to the majority of voters who look forward to a good future for Vietnam-US relations, Sanchez lent a helping hand to a group of old-fashioned voters to sabotage the Vietnamese State. It is a wrongful act which is not allowed in any sovereign country. Does the US administration let a certain force or bad elements in its country support the act of sabotage to overthrow the administration as Sanchez attempted to do in Vietnam? It is unacceptable to justify Sanchez’s wrong doings against human beings and human rights in Vietnam. In fact, human rights are being developed and respected in Vietnam. In its latest report, the United Nations acknowledged that Vietnam has made significant progress in developing its citizens’ fundamental human rights. Therefore, there is no need to deal with the human rights issue in Vietnam as some US circles have called for.

Moreover, Sanchez is not qualified to accuse Vietnam of violating human rights, as she has turned a blind eye to Vietnam’s concerns about the human rights issue. While visiting the country, she refused to visit victims of Agent Orange/dioxin at the Huu Nghi (Friendship) village, who are deprived of the right to lead normal lives. She also turned down requests by the Vietnam War Veterans Association and the Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin exchange views on the spraying of toxic chemicals by the US army during the war in Vietnam. By committing such inhumane acts, she could not represent Congress to give herself the right to bring democracy to Vietnam. Obviously, she is again following the beaten track of reactionary forces in a deliberate attempt to sabotage Vietnam. Any cry for democracy of that sort is unacceptable. It is nothing but an act of intervening in the internal affairs of other countries. The fact is that such acts have never brought about real democracy and stability to any country. The situation in Iraq is a case in point.