April 14, 1994 in Tai A Chau (Originally in Au Lac Language)
To: The Secretary-General of the United Nations
The UNHCR in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Governor
Political and congress leaders of all nations
International legal organizations for human rights
The International Amnesty Organization
International religious groups, political parties and
associations.
Radio and TV stations, and newspapers of the world
Overseas Au Lac communities defending the refugees
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Ever since the communists took over southern Au Lac by force (on April 30, 1975), many of our parents were imprisoned, exiled, or oppressed. Some of them died under the brutality of the communists. Our families were fragmented, leaving behind destitute children, victims of the communist system. They would not even leave these innocent youngsters alone because of their family background . We were abandoned by the society, forbidden to go to school, and to join any groups or organizations. Therefore, we were forced to risk our lives seeking asylum.
We felt consoled and encouraged that the Hong Kong Government has provided us a temporary abode, and the United Nations and other voluntary groups have done their best to help us. Even though the detention camps are jails for the young people, we still have faith in the kindness of the free world. Arduously enduring the humiliation and suffering for three, four, five or six years, we long for the day when we will have a permanent home in a third country. But suddenly, everything changed. After the austere, unfair and deceiving screening process conducted by the Hong Kong Immigration Department, we were forced, with all kinds of tricks by the United Nations and the police in the camp, to return to Au Lac.
We are just a group of helpless and unfortunate youngsters in the camp, lacking everything, absolutely unaware of our future, always worrying and afraid, afraid of being forcibly repatriated to Au Lac by the police. Having lived a long time in the detention camps, we have learned what is brutality and what is freedom and justice. We therefore ask all of you to respect our human rights. With your kindness, please save these suffering destitute children in Tai A Chau and other detention camps in Southeast Asia.
We urge the world to appeal to the United Nations, so they will not send us back to Au Lac - where the communists are waiting to seize us, just because our parents had different ideals and had fought them with arms.
Please ask the free countries to extend their welcoming arms and recognize our refugee status. Our compatriots are holding an indefinite hunger strike, fighting for our rights. Shoulder to shoulder, we shall fight to the end to uphold the proclamation of January 1, 1994 declared by the boat people's committee in Tai A Chau.
Oh, respectable ones, please turn your head and look back. On the desolate island of Tai A Chau in Hong Kong, there live many miserable unaccompanied minors who fled their country, without parents or relatives. Worried and anxious, they are longing for your noble and righteous decision. Please do not forsake us. Should we have the chance to grow up and be well educated in a free environment, we will be the future hope of nations, and be dignified young people who will benefit human society.
Your decision now is more important than at any other time. It is the antidote capable of saving the innocent children under the oppression of the Hong Kong Immigration Department and the United Nations. Watching each second and minute slip by, we are longing for your concern and humanitarian action.
At the same time, we are here extending our most sincere gratitude.
Please accept our highest salutation on behalf of all the unfortunate and helpless unaccompanied minors in Tai A Chau Detention Center.
Nguyen Anh
To: The President of the United States, Bill Clinton
(Originally in Au Lac Language)
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We, the undersignees, are 213 former commissioned officers, noncommissioned officers, soldiers, police officers, USA trained commandos and staffs members of the Republic of Au Lac, who are still in the Tai A Chau detention camp in Hong Kong. We unanimously urge you to use your power and influence, together with your sense of responsibility, to help us settle in a third country and also to stop the Hong Kong Government, as well as the United Nations from forcing us to repatriate to that deadly land where the Hanoi communist Government is still in power.
We, the officers, staff members and the USA trained commandos, who have battled together with the Americans and have the same ideal, committed ourselves to an outpost of the free world during the time previous to 1975. We were taught and led by the USA advisors in our country of South Au Lac.
After the communists infiltrated the South, Au Lac communists began systematically to take their revenge. They put all persons who worked for the former regime into prisons that they call reeducation camps . This is a kind of very deep revenge that has been criticized, condemned, and revealed to the whole world.
Because of the terrorization, revenge, and oppressions of the communist government, we had to leave our native country, to face a lot of dangers - storms, pirates and starvation - that caused a great number of people to be buried at the bottom of the sea. Our only longing is to find a safe refuge, a place to stay, during this troubled time in Au Lac.
Also! For the unlucky ones like us, we have unfortunately come one step late by arriving at the time when the free world is closing its doors tightly. They use the communist words to give us the title economic refugee so that they can give us back to the Au Lac communist hell, the same place from which we have already escaped.
According to the meeting on February 14, 1994 at the United Nations in Geneva, carrying out the policy of forcibly repatriating the boat people is inhumane. We believe, with the humanitarian character and personality that you already have, Mr. President, you will reconfirm the point of view of protesting against repatriation. That view must not change. We expect your involvement in this issue to characterize your responsibility and humanity.
213 Au Lac soldiers, officers and staff members of the Republic of Au Lac, as well as former USA trained commandos who are now at the Tai A Chau detention camp, unanimously sign the following list. We would like to gratefully thank you.
On behalf of the Former soldiers and staffs members of the Republic of Au Lac Association at the Tai A Chau camp, Hong Kong.
Ho Van Be, President
April 30, 1994
(Originally in Au Lac Language)
My Most Respectful Supreme Master Ching Hai,
We are a political organization based in the refugee camp at Sungei Besi, Malaysia, fighting for the rights of the refugees and human rights. Firstly, let all the members of our executive board, all our members and all the asylum-seeking Au Lac compatriots in Malaysia send You our respect and our deepest admiration.
Respectful Master, the seeking of asylum by the Au Lac people has entered the final stage. In the refugee camps in Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian countries, the intensity of our sentiment has reached boiling point as we fight for refugee rights and protest against forced repatriation. The atmosphere at Sungei Besi has been very tense. A dreadful silence seems to foretell of a desperate fight to the death which could erupt at anytime soon. From our experiences of the past two protest activities - the first at Pulau Bidong at the end of 1990, the second at Sungei Besi in April 1993 lasting for seventeen days - we know that it would be impossible to move the iron-hearted United Nations and Governments of the first asylum countries with the peaceful non-violent approach and with our own strength alone. Much blood has been shed! Also two Au Lac countrymen have been sacrificed. Still the United Nations were not moved. They continue to use the unfair, unreasonable screening process to refuse most of the boat people's refugee rights.
We remember what Master said in Her talk on February 27, 1992 in Malaysia: If we did not experience any pain, then we would not know what pain is all about and it would be very difficult for us to sympathize with others. Just like someone who is rich would not understand what poverty is all about; or someone living in a free country would not understand what communism is all about. Thus many people escaping from communist countries, seeking asylum in free countries would be refused admission.
Recently we have planned to start a new course of action.
We have coordinated with overseas compatriots and all the forces
in the refugee camps to consolidate our own strength so that we
will be able to achieve the following two objectives:
(1) Send appeal letters to the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Malaysian Government,
other first asylum countries, all the governments agreeing to the
Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) and all religious sects and
political organizations in the world. We will depict the present
situations of the asylum-seeking Au Lac boat people and tell of
the pain we are suffering. We will also urge them, in the spirit
of humanity, to help us break away from our present predicament
and to recognize our political refugee status.
(2) If our appeals are not heeded, then an extremely bloody fight would begin. We have named this fight, 'Leave The Camp In Bloodshed'. Our slogan is 'Die For Freedom'. Then, perhaps we would be able to see the dawn of freedom or else we would commit mass suicide. Sungei Besi would be filled with blood. This place would become the grave for not just tens or hundreds, but thousands of people!
Recalling Master's aphorism: Justice is good; but love is best. We are now living in an environment without love and without justice, thus our only choice may be death.
Respectful Master, the Au Lac boat people in Hong Kong fought for freedom and the local government used barbaric actions to oppress them. These incidences have already caused You much pain and sorrow. These past years, especially recently, all these activities and Master's love have caused our hearts, and the hearts of all the Au Lac refugee compatriots, to kindle with an incomparable love and respect for You and at the same time to believe strongly that the day of our liberation is not far away.
As a matter of fact, today, Master's image has become the symbol of freedom, justice and love for those in pain, those seeking liberation, and those under the atrocious communist rule. Master is the only and the last lifebuoy for all the refugees in the camps. They are struggling in the bloody sea of revenge among vicious and inhuman people.
Respectful Master, we took the liberty to write You this letter. We believe that with Your merciful heart, Your supreme spirit of sacrifice, Your prestige and reputation, You will be able to redeem those people with hearts of stone and be able to awaken their consciences. In doing so, the people responsible for the Au Lac refugees and the people of the world community would be able to accept the rescue plans proposed by You so as to bring true freedom to the Au Lac boat people and result in every Au Lac boat person being liberated from their painful and bloody situation.
Lastly, we pray for God Almighty to bless Master.
We prostrate to You Master!
Tran Van Tam
Chairman
Defense of Human Rights
June 1, 1994, Sungei Besi