June 21, 2007
Vietnamese President's Visit Awash In History, Controversy
For the first time since the end of the Vietnam War, the president of Vietnam is visiting the United States this week. Nguyen Minh Triet arrived yesterday, is meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers today, and will visit President Bush at the White House tomorrow, where the two will sign a preliminary bilateral trade pact.
A newly minted WTO member, Vietnam is seeing rapid economic growth. Triet has been a member of the Communist Party since 1965, but as president has been an advocate for his country's integration into the world economy. A large delegation of Vietnamese businessmen is accompanying him on his visit.
But Vietnam is drawing criticism for alleged human rights abuses. Triet has jailed at least eight dissidents this year.
The group Reporters Without Borders issued an open letter to Bush today asking him to press Triet on human rights during their meeting tomorrow. The letter accuses Hanoi of "promising progress on human rights to ingratiate itself with the international community," then resuming its repression of free speech once it was admitted to the WTO.
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