Today, Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao (LA-02) expressed his “profound disappointment” over the Obama Administration’s decision to strengthen bilateral relations with Vietnam’s communist government.

Cao, the first and only Vietnamese-American ever to serve in the United States Congress, described Hanoi’s record on human rights and religious freedom as “atrocious.” He said the the Vietnamese government does not deserve better U.S. ties until it demonstrates greater respect for the freedom and dignity of its own people.

Cao cited numerous examples of abuses committed by the Vietnamese government, including the harrassment, arrest and false imprisonment of pro-democracy advocates and clerics, the seizing of religious institutions and destruction of religious symbols, and the use of eminent domain to strip property owners of their holdings without just compensation.

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