Request for Vietnam's Congress to disclose the Chengdu Conference
On September 4, 1990, in the city of Chengdu (China) the heads of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of China signed several terms concerning the relations between the two countries that had a particular impact on Vietnam's future. Thus far, after nearly a quarter century, the people of Vietnam are still completely unaware of the contents of this conference.
Nevertheless, since this Chengdu Conference, the people of Vietnam have witnessed:
- Land Territory: Vietnam has lost to China hundreds of square kilometers that our forefathers sacrificed their lives for, and thousands of hectares of forests and strategic watersheds under longterm projects and leases to China for a duration of over 50 years. Despite dissuation from many intellectuals and dedicated patriots, the Communist Party directed the government to deliberately implement the dangerous bauxite mining project, causing incalculable damages to the environment and living conditions of the Highlands and the Southeast regions. From these projects, thousands of Chinese natives occupy strategic locations in the highlands of Vietnam.
- Sea Territory: Thousands of square kilometers of waters full of resources, which are Vietnam's livelihood for trade, are now in the hands of China. Vietnam's fishermen earning their living on traditional fishing waters were chased, assaulted, detained, imprisoned, killed, ransacked and robbed of their vessels and fishing gears by Chinese soldiers. China's illegal occupation of Vietnam's Gac Ma and Cross islands and turning them into dangerous military bases are all parts of Beijing's ambitious and agressive expansion in the eastern sea.
- Economic Dependence: Vietnam's economy is deeply dependent on China. Beijing holds 90% of all vital projects that are the pillar of support for Vietnam's economy, which robs Vietnam of its autonomy. Accompanied these projects is the influx of Chinese natives who enter Vietnam's soil, establish their own villages, marry Vietnamese spouses, produce offspring across Vietnam's three regions... which poses a growing threat. In addition, Chinese toxic goods, outdated machinery and equipments dominate Vietnam's market.
- Policies Towards Its Veterans and Citizens: In order to please Beijing, all Vietnamese books and newspapers are forbidden by the State from referring to the historical facts of Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979 and 1988, which brutally massacred Vietnamese soldiers and civilians. All memorial activities are banned and violently suppressed. Tombstones of martyrs are ordered to be destroyed. All peaceful protests against Chinese invasion, and their despotic mapping of territory... were viciously oppressed. Vietnamese citizens who practise Falun Gong in Vietnam were also arrested, tortured and persecuted.
- Policies in Foreign Relations: The Vietnamese government seemed to be hesitant to take up the issue of Chinese aggression to international judicial forum, including the incident of China's oil rig HD-981. Moreover, the fact that the Chinese 5-star red flag, which recently has been added one more star (5 stars plus 1 more representing Vietnam-), appears evidently in State's welcoming receptions of Chinese leaders organized by Vietnam's Ministry of External Affairs, and is officially publicized on the State's main television channel, speaks loud and clear to Vietnamese leaders' submission to China.
What is the Chengdu Conference's content? Who agreed to what terms that are causing the above harmful consequences, resulting in the border demarcation agreement between Vietnam and China, and the unfair treaty on boundary delimitation of the Tonkin Gulf? And what other secrets that have been agreed to, that threaten the survival of our nation, that we are not yet aware of?
Without transparency, the government cannot be held accountable. Is this the reason why the people are deprived of their right to know so that the leaders could shirk responsibility before the nation's history?
Who have swallowed their conscience to sell out their own people, their fellow soldiers, and their forefathers? Who are determined to continue to bargain with the enemy at the expense of their citizens? THE PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW!!!
"People know, people discuss, people monitor ..." cannot be just an empty slogan for propaganda but it must be executed. Therefore, in the role of the nation's ultimate owners, we, the citizens of Vietnam, demand the National Assembly, to disclose THE ENTIRE ACCURATE CONTENTS of the Chengdu Conference.
If this legitimate request of patriotic citizens, who only wish to protect the autonomy and independence of the country, is not being met, then it proves that indeed the Chengdu Conference has sold out much of the country's resources, territorial interests, and independence of the fatherland. The silence of Congress will be the most obvious answer to all of the people on the detrimental and dangerous content of the Chengdu Conference.
Therefore, we believe that Congress will respond promptly and seriously to our request for disclosure of the complete and true content of the Chengdu Conference. We believe that there are members of the National Assembly who still have not forgotten the sacrifices of the soldiers who lost their lives in the battles at the Sino-Vietnamese border, over the Spratlys and the Paracels... and that they will act accordingly to their patriotic conscience.
Translated by: Đặng Thanh Chi (Dân Làm Báo)
