95% OF VIETNAMESE PEOPLE WANT TO SUE CHINA IN INTERNATIONAL COURTS IN A REFERENDUM

Over the past decades, China has gradually invaded the East Sea of Vietnam through acts of bribery, coercion, provocation, aggression, militarization, status change and violations of Freedom of Navigation.

Recently, from April 13 to April 19, 2020, China took advantage of the Wuhan pandemic (COVID-19) and attempted to finalize its claims in the East Sea of Vietnam by issuing Note Verbale CML/42/2020 to the United Nations. China provocatively and arbitrarily set up two districts, Nansha and Xisha, in order to legitimize its administrative rule, threaten Vietnam and the other sovereign states in the East Sea of Vietnam, and get them to abandon the disputed islands. In addition, China plans to launch an Air Defense Identification Area (ADIZ) to control the whole airspace of Southeast Asia and threaten the security of all Southeast Asian nations.

Based on history, geography, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 (UNCLOS), the Paracel Islands and most of the Spratly Islands are under the sovereignty of Vietnam.

Although this time the Vietnamese government did speak up, it was merely a feeble formality.

The Vietnamese people have raised their voices to ask for justice and to force China to stop invading Vietnamese territorial waters. The Vietnamese people have spoken out for justice, forcing the Vietnamese communist authorities to transparently claim sovereignty against China in an international court. The overwhelming majority of Vietnam’s 97 million people have expressed their desire to stand with the free world.

Fishermen from Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries cannot make a living because of bullying by China, which has issued a ban on fishing in the territorial waters of Vietnam’s EEZ and those of other Southeast Asian countries as well as robbing and killing fishermen and sinking their fishing boats.

The environment and the seabeds throughout Southeast Asia have been devastated by China in violation of the International Law of the Sea. Chinese invasion and expansion, both on the sea and in the air, threaten the survival of all of Southeast Asia as well as the peace and security of the Indian Pacific region.

Faced with this situation, we, representatives of organizations fighting for human rights, democracy and freedom for Vietnam, using social networking sites, are conducting a referendum of the Vietnamese people on one question, “Faced with China’s invasion in the East Sea of Vietnam, do you think Vietnam should sue China in international courts?”*

As of today, more than half a million Vietnamese have participated in this referendum and 58 organizations have supported it, with 95% of respondents wanting to sue.

An Eastern proverb says, “The People’s will is God’s will.” Only nations are everlasting, and a country’s true owners are its people. This Open Letter reflects the will of the Vietnamese people, who are for Territorial Integrity, Respect for Vietnam’s Sovereignty, and Complete Independence from China. We send this Open Letter to you, esteemed leaders of free nations that respect peace and justice, hoping to convey the will of the vast majority of the people of Vietnam. We ask that you unanimously and earnestly support the Vietnamese people by urging, promoting, and supporting litigation against China before the international courts.

In particular, we respectfully send this letter to the member countries of ASEAN so that you can understand and strongly support the will of the Vietnamese people. Hopefully, their aspirations, expressed through the referendum, will assist ASEAN in protecting the rights, security, peace, and development of all the nations of Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region in the face of China’s aggression.

Thank you for your consideration.

*https://bit.ly/35NmrjH

Sincerely yours,

Le Thanh Nhan, Chairman

ALLIANCE FOR A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC VIETNAM

Nguyen Huu Ninh, President

ALLIANCE FOR DEMOCRACY IN VIETNAM

Tran Kien, President

ANTI-CHINA EXPANSION MOVEMENT

Dr. Mai Thanh Truyet, Group Leader

ANTI-CHINESE ANTI-VIETNAMESE COMMUNISTS GROUP

Nguyen Thanh Ha, Coordinating Chair

ASSEMBLY FOR DEMOCRACY IN VIETNAM

Tran Huu Tam, President

Association of Former Military Police ARVN in Western Australia

Dr. Hoang Thi My Lam, President

Association of Vietnamese Refugees of Federal Republic of Germany 

Vu Hoang Hai, Representative

BLOC 8406 INTERNATIONAL

Atty. Nguyen Van Dai, President

BROTHERHOOD FOR DEMOCRACY

Tran Hung, Secretary

BUDDHIST CHURCH OF AMERICA

Pastor Nguyen Hoang Hoa, President

Church of Protestant Lutheran Community of Vietnam

Giao Nguyen, Moderator

East Sea of Vietnam – Indo-Pacific Discussion Group

Dr. Nguyen Quyen Tai, Chairman

Free Vietnam Global Network

Nguyen Van Vui, President

FRIENDLY ASSOCIATION OF EX-POLITICAL PRISONERS UNDER THE COMMUNIST REGIME IN VIETNAM (FAVPPUCR/VN)

Prof. Tran Minh Xuan, President

FRIENDS OF PROFESSOR NGUYEN NGOC HUY

Ta Dzu, Coordinator

HOI LUAN THANG NGHIA

Huynh Tam, President

INSTITUTE FOR HISTORIC CAODAI RELIGION (Paris, France)

Fr. Nguyen Van Ly, Co-chair

Le Van Soc, Co-chair

Most Ven. Thich Khong Tanh, Co-chair

Pastor Nguyen Hoang Hoa, Co-chair

Sub-dignitary Hua Phi, Co-chair

Dr. Do Van Hoi, Overseas Representative

INTERFAITH COUNCIL OF VIETNAM

Dr. Doan Viet Hoat, Chairman

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR VIETNAM

Vo Thien Tho, Chairman

LEAGUE OF VIETNAMESE AMERICAN VOTERS

Dr. Minh Tran, Secretary

MINH VAN FOUNDATION

Nguyen Phuc Viet, President

MOVEMENT FOR VIETNAM’S FREEDOM

Dr. Phan Van Song

Nationalist Party of Greater Vietnam

Nguyen Phuoc Nga, President,

NHA VIET NAM – Vietnamese Community Center (Florida, USA)

Ngai Vinh, Representative

PHO DUC CHINH YOUTH ORGANIZATION

Dr. Vo Dinh Huu, President

QUOC HOC – DONG KHANH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Sub-dignitary Hua Phi, Chair

Representative Committee of the Popular Bloc of Cao Dai Church

Nguyen Duc Huy, President

REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM NEXT GENERATIONS

Most Ven. Thich Khong Tanh, Vice President

SANGHA OF UNIFIED BUDDHIST CHURCH OF VIETNAM

Vo Thanh Nhan, Manager

SBTN-DC/VATV P.B. Hoan Studio

Dr. Bui Trong Cuong, President

THE ANTI-CHINESE DOMINATION COMMITTEE

Huynh Luong Thien, President

THE MOVEMENT OF PERFORMING ARTISTS AND WRITERS FOR A FUTURE VIETNAM

Dr. Nguyen Ba Long, Moderator

The Viet Democratic Side’s International Forum

Tran Tu Thanh, Founding Chairman

Atty. Ta Quang Trung, Counselor

The Vietnam-Helsinki Human Rights Committee

Le Van Soc, Vice President, Central Leadership Committee

Le Quang Hien, Secretary-General, Central Leadership Committee

TRADITIONAL HOA HAO BUDDHIST CHURCH

Bao Lam, Vice President

TRAN NHAN TONG CLUB

Atty. Nguyen Linh, Director, Office of International Relations

UNIFIED BUDDHIST CHURCH OF VIETNAM

Dr. Vo Dinh Huu, Co-chair, Executive Committee
UNITED COUNCIL OF VIETNAMESE IN HOMELAND AND OVERSEAS

Tran Anh, President

VIET 2000

Hoang Lan, Group Leader

VIET LIST

Nguyen Thien Bang, Representative

VIET PEOPLE YOUTH GROUP

Dr. Nguyen Nhu Phuc, Vice President

Vietnam Democracy Center

Nam Nguyen, Ph.D., Moderator 

Vietnam Economic Zones Discussion Group

Destiny Nguyen, Chair, Organizing Committee
Vietnam Human Rights Day May 11, 2020

Prof. Phan Thong Hung, President, Executive Board

Dr. Nguyen Van Nghi, President, Representative Board

Vietnamese American Community of Pennsylvania

Nguyen Linh, Secretary

VIETNAMESE AMERICANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Prof. Tran Canh Xuan, President

VIETNAMESE AMERICAN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY

Atty. Tran Minh Nhut, President

VIETNAMESE AMERICAN SENIORS SOCIETY IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

Dong Van Tran, Secretary General

Vietnamese Canadian Federation

Dr. Bui Trong Cuong, President

VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA – QUEENSLAND CHAPTER

Dr. Vo Dinh Huu, President

Vietnamese Community of Pomona Valley

Ducly Bui, Director

Vietnamese Cultural Center / Tran Hung Dao Foundation

Dr. Mai Thanh Truyet, President

VIETNAMESE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SOCIETY

Dr. Ton That Son, Moderator

Vietnamese Forums Network

Le Thanh Nhan, Chairman

VIETNAMESE NATIONALIST PARTY

Genie Nguyen Thi Ngoc Giao, President

VOICE OF VIETNAMESE AMERICANS

Vu Van Thai, Secretary-General

World Vietnamese Buddhist Order 

Tran Long, Group Leader

YOUTH FOR DEMOCRACY

Media Contact

Company- Vietnam Democracy Center

Name- David Tran

Phone- 8449309323

Email- vietnamreferendum@gmail.com

Country- Vietnam

Website- https://bit.ly/35NmrjH