US senator urges engagement with Vietnam on rights
(AFP) – 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON — A US senator closely involved with Asia on Wednesday condemned Vietnam's jailing of four dissidents but urged the Obama administration not to isolate the communist nation.
Jim Webb, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Asia, voiced concern about Vietnam's jailing of the four dissidents for subversion in a day-long trial last week.
"The arrest and trial of these individuals illustrates the growing pressure in Asia towards government censorship and authoritarian control," said Webb, a member of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party.
"Rather than isolate Vietnam for its actions, I encourage the Obama administration to continue to raise issues of freedom of association and rule of law with the government of Vietnam," he said.
Webb, a former combat Marine in Vietnam and journalist who speaks Vietnamese, is a strong advocate of engagement with non-democratic states in Asia.
He is the most prominent advocate in Congress for dialogue with military-run Myanmar, often pointing to Vietnam as an example of how US engagement can lead to greater openness.
Vietnam sentenced the four democracy advocates to between five and 16 years in prison, a decision condemned by the United States and European Union.
