HANOI — Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet has signed on to a “proposed constitutional amendments of 1992″.
A growing number of people in Vietnam now know the situation of the country is actually profoundly bad. Vietnam is sinking deeper into crisis in all aspects. The one-party, authoritarian path of communist officials has resulted in a complete disregard for human rights. Officials of the government believe that they have authority to harm people and ignore the rights of man.
Communism has devastated any spiritual value and put the country on the path of degeneration in all aspects.
A leading intellectual who loves Vietnam, Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, along with many other educated people inside and outside Vietnam now believe Vietnam needs to go back to the proposed constitution of 1992.
Therefore there is a petition seeking a resolution to this problem and the Catholic leadership and others of the intelligentsia are asking us to sign the petition to support the proposed constitution of 1992 and a reiteration of human rights for all Vietnamese.
The proposed changes would benefit all Vietnamese regardless of location, education, religion, and social social status. The document represents the deep aspirations of all people and the will of the majority of people of the country today.
In the past, the response of the Catholic Church with respect to this petition has been strong. Many priests and parishioners have signed the petition – but this is the first time the government has seen the involvement of the bishops.
Bishop Joseph Nguyen Chi Linh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese bishops, the Rev. Paul Nguyen Thai, Chairman of the Commission justice peace , and Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet signed supporting the petition of a proposed constitution in 1992.
Earlier, the country’s intellectuals also had a call for enforcement of human rights according to the Constitution, this call was the attention and response of the people. The number of participants has signed up to thousands of people.
Since retiring to the monastery Of Ninh Binh, Son, this is the first time Bishop Joseph Ngô Quang Kiet voiced before the Vietnam social community on the critical issues of the country.
[Source: vietcatholic.com]
We ask all concerned to sign the petition. Have you signed yet? 
It is very easy to sign: just send an email to the address:
kiennghisuadoihienphap2013@gmail.com
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Joseph Ngô Quang Kiệt (born 4 September 1952 in Lang Son Province, Vietnam) is the Archbishop Emeritus of Hanoi. In 1993, he studied at the Institut Catholique in Paris, France. He was appointed archbishop of Hanoi in 2005, succeeding Paul Joseph Pham Dinh Tung. Prior to his appointment as archbishop, he served as apostolic administrator in the Vietnamese capital.
In early 2010, then 57 year old Archbishop Ngo submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI. The archbishop reportedly had been suffering from stress and insomnia. Ngo denied rumors that he had been pressured to step down after he asked Catholics in 2007 to pray for the government to return the former apostolic nunciature to the church. He also had criticized Hanoi city authorities for building a flower garden on the premises without local church approval. “I am personally under no pressure from any side,” the archbishop said in the interview, which was reported by UCA News, the Asian Catholic news agency. In 2008, the mayor of Hanoi had previously asked that the archbishop be removed from office.
AsiaNews, a Rome-based Catholic news agency, reported May 11 that the archbishop would step down and hypothesized that he would do so because Vietnam’s communist government made his ouster a condition for launching full diplomatic relations with the Vatican. For at least two years, AsiaNews said, Ngo “has been the focus of a regime campaign to have him removed. Indeed, the prelate has always supported the requests and the prayers of the faithful of Hanoi who suffer oppression, expropriation of land, churches and cemeteries, along with gratuitous violence.”
On 22 April 2010, 72 year old Pierre Nguyên Van Nhon, formerly bishop of Da Lat, was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Hanoi by Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict accepted Archbishop Ngô Quang Kiệt’s resignation on 13 May 2010.
Archbishop Nguyên Van Nhon succeeded to the see on 13 May 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Quang_Kiet
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Defendants in court Photo: Nguyen Van Nhat/REUTERS
Here is a list of Vietnamese found guilty two weeks ago of “crimes against the Government of Vietnam” along with their prison terms:
1. Ho Duc Hoa (13 years in prison, 5 years house arrest)
2. Dang Xuan Dieu (13 years in prison, 5 years house arrest)
3. Paulus Le Son (13 years in prison, 5 years house arrest)
4. Nguyen Van Duyet (6 years in prison, 4 years house arrest)
5. Nguyen Van Oai (3 years in prison, 2 years house arrest)
6. Ho Van Oanh (3 years in prison, 2 years house arrest)
7. Nguyen Dinh Cuong (4 years in prison, 3 years house arrest)
8. Nguyen Xuan Anh (5 years in prison, 3 years house arrest)
9. Thai Van Dung (5 years in prison, 3 years house arrest)
10. Tran Minh Nhat (4 years in prison, 3 years house arrest)
11. Nong Hung Anh (5 years in prison, 3 years house arrest)
12. Nguyen Dang Vinh Phuc (probation)
13. Nguyen Dang Minh Man (9 years in prison, 3 years house arrest)
14. Dang Ngoc Minh (3 years in prison, 2 years house arrest)
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Reuters Called Law Used To Jail Vietnamese Activists “Draconian”
Jan 9 (Reuters) – Thirteen political activists were found
guilty of anti-state crimes in Vietnam on Wednesday and
sentenced to prison, a ruling condemned by rights activists who
saw it as part of a crackdown on dissidents in the communist
country.
Relatives of the defendants and several Catholic blogs said
the 13, including bloggers and members of a Catholic church,
were sentenced to terms ranging from three to 13 years. Another
accused received a suspended sentence.
Court officials declined to provide details of the verdict,
which was read out after a two-day hearing during which large
numbers of police were deployed around the courthouse.
The court in Vinh, 300 km (190 miles) south of Hanoi, found
them guilty of “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing
the people’s administration”, a charge under Article 79 of the
penal code that can carry the death penalty.
“Article 79 is a very draconian charge,” said Phil
Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “There is
nothing to indicate the defendants intended to overthrow the
government.”
“This trial is in the middle of a deepening crackdown that’s
been gradually picking up speed in the past year, year and a
half. They’re mowing down the ranks of activists in Vietnam,” he
said.
In a statement, the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said it was
“deeply troubled” by reports of the convictions.
“The government’s treatment of these individuals appears to
be inconsistent with Vietnam’s obligations under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as
the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
relating to freedom of expression and due process,” it said,
calling for all prisoners of conscience to be freed.
The 14 defendants were arrested between August and December
2011 and held for more than a year before standing trial.
Rights groups say they are peaceful protesters and advocates
of workers rights and democracy, plus supporters of other
imprisoned activists.
Government officials were not available for comment.
FEAR OF PROTESTS
Eleven of the defendants were identified in an official
indictment as members of Viet Tan, an outlawed pro-democracy
group based in the United States. The activities deemed
subversive included attending a digital security workshop in
Thailand.
“People in Vietnam have the right to participate in the
political affairs of the country. They have the basic right of
belonging to any political organisation they choose,” Duy Hoang,
a spokesman for Viet Tan, told Reuters.
“No one is accused of doing anything that is actually a
‘wrong’ activity. They are being persecuted,” he said.
Hoang declined to say whether any of the defendants were
members of the party.
Dang Ngoc Minh and her daughter Nguyen Dang Minh Man were
accused of painting the slogan “HS.TS.VN” on a school. According
to the defendants, that meant “Hoang Sa, Truong Sa, Viet Nam” –
or “the Paracel and Spratly Islands belong to Vietnam”.
Those islands are also claimed by China in a territorial
dispute that flared up anew in 2012. The Vietnamese government
agrees with the slogan, that the islands belong to Vietnam.
“Vietnamese authorities haven’t been able to say why this is
bad,” Robertson said of the slogan.
“Part of the reason the government cracked down on protests
related to policies on China is that it fears such protests will
get out of control and morph into something else.”
A crackdown could have international trade repercussions.
“There’s opposition in the U.S. to extending economic
benefits to a country engaged in activity so antithetical to its
values,” said Allen Weiner, a senior lecturer in international
law at Stanford Law School.
“The government of Vietnam is conducting a legal process
which is completely non-transparent. The courts are being used
as an instrument of state repression rather than honestly
adjudicating guilt or innocence,” he said.
(Reporting by Paul Carsten in Bangkok; Editing by Alan Raybould
and Robert Birsel)
Vietnam has been on a campaign to put the muzzle on people: Here Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly being restrained from talking at his own trial in Vietnam — Father Ly is one of Vietnam’s most prominent dissidents and has been a strong advocate for religious freedom and democracy for over 40 years. If his case is discussed by Vietnam’s bloggers, the communist government tries to find out who is involved so they can punish the bloggers….Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly remains in prison somewhere in Vietnam. Please pray for him.
Above: Vietnam’s usual response to reporters, cameras and recorders: “No Comment” followed quickly by “You Under Arrest!” Vietnam, like China, has no real free media, no real freedom of speech and no real freedom of religion. The government of each nation is not accountable to the people…..
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