13 septembre 2010 | FIDH
Debating Vietnam’s human rights record under its ASEAN Chairmanship is more than ever impossible
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) announced yesterday that it has been under pressure by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cancel a press conference on human rights in Vietnam, organized by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR).
The press conference was intended at presenting to the Bangkok-based media a new report entitled “From”vision“to facts: human rights in Vietnam under its chairmanship of ASEAN”. Vo Van Ai and Penelope Faulkner, respectively President and Vice-President of VCHR, were scheduled to speak at this press event.
On the eve of his departure, Vo Van Ai received a call from the Royal Embassy of Thailand in Paris, and was told that in spite of the fact that he had obtained a visa for Thailand, he would not be allowed to enter Thai territory, following a request by the Vietnamese government. This morning, Penelope Faulkner was told by the air company at the Paris airport that she would not be allowed to board her flight because she would not be allowed to enter the Thai territory upon arrival in Bangkok.
“We are dismayed by the Thai authorities’ decision to ban entry on the Thai territory of two well-known human rights defenders who have been peacefully advocating for human rights in Vietnam for years. This is frightening: it illustrates that it is impossible to speak about Vietnam’s human rights record not only in Vietnam, but also in neighbouring countries”, declared Souhayr Belhassen, President of FIDH.
Debating Vietnam’s human rights record under its ASEAN Chairmanship is more than ever impossible
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) announced yesterday that it has been under pressure by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cancel a press conference on human rights in Vietnam, organized by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR).
The press conference was intended at presenting to the Bangkok-based media a new report entitled “From”vision“to facts: human rights in Vietnam under its chairmanship of ASEAN”. Vo Van Ai and Penelope Faulkner, respectively President and Vice-President of VCHR, were scheduled to speak at this press event.
On the eve of his departure, Vo Van Ai received a call from the Royal Embassy of Thailand in Paris, and was told that in spite of the fact that he had obtained a visa for Thailand, he would not be allowed to enter Thai territory, following a request by the Vietnamese government. This morning, Penelope Faulkner was told by the air company at the Paris airport that she would not be allowed to board her flight because she would not be allowed to enter the Thai territory upon arrival in Bangkok.
“We are dismayed by the Thai authorities’ decision to ban entry on the Thai territory of two well-known human rights defenders who have been peacefully advocating for human rights in Vietnam for years. This is frightening: it illustrates that it is impossible to speak about Vietnam’s human rights record not only in Vietnam, but also in neighbouring countries”, declared Souhayr Belhassen, President of FIDH.
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