Assembly of The Republic of Viet Nam Veterans

P.0. Box 5055, Springfield, VA 22150

www.chiensivietnamconghoa.org

January 25, 2005

Dr. Condoleezza Rice. Secretary

United States Department of State

Washington, DC 20052

Dear Madame Secretary:

On behalf of the Assembly of the Republic of Vietnam Veterans-Youth Affairs (ARVV), I would like to congratulate you on your confirmation as our country’s new U.S.’ Secretary of State. To the people once risked death for freedom, who has stood steadfast and loyally behind our government, affirmation of America’s determination to stand strong against all threats and that “America will stand with the oppressed in every nation, every continent” as you stated renew hope and confidence in a new leadership.

Madame Secretary, on January 8^th,2005 there was an attack on the innocent fishermen of Thanh-Hoa, Vietnam, by the Chinese marine police. Such attack left 9 fishermen dead, 7 wounded and 8 detained. While such attack is most probably the result of the Sino-Vietnam land and sea treaty in which Vietnam conceded its land and sea to China, the latter throughout history has always sought to expand its borders by taking over its neighboring countries by aggression. Nepal and Tibet are the cases in point. As a matter of fact, one of the conditions for US withdrawal from Vietnam from former President Nixon in negotiating with China in 1972, as revealed by recently de-classified documents, was for this country to abandon its expansion policy. It should be noted as well that such Land and Sea Treaties ratified in December 1999 and June 2004 did not have the consent of the Vietnamese people. In fact, the Vietnamese communist regime arrested and sentenced many voices of conscience inquiring into the treaties. The days after the attack on the Vietnamese fishermen, Vietnamese students gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to protest and were met with armored vehicles and crack down by the Vietnamese police.

In his inaugural address to the world on January 20th President Bush stated: “The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our worlds is the expansion of freedom in all the world.” Certainly, China’s act of aggression against unarmed Vietnamese civilians, if not monitored, can be a threat to Southeast Asia’s stability and to world peace, and thus, our nation’s interests.

Actions and reactions by both China and Vietnam to this incident, taking history and background into consideration, certainly deserve attention and should be of particular concern to the U.S.

Madame Secretary, with in-depth experiences in national security, with a national renewed duties in defending freedom “by standing watch on distant borders” of the administration, 1 am confident that Peace, Liberty and the American principles will be defended and protected under your leadership.

Respectfully yours,

Anhthu Lu

Deputy Chief-Youth Affairs