Commentary : Emigration of Political Prisoners in Vietnam Calls for Helping Hands

July 29, 1989, was for most of us no different than any other day. But for Vietnamese-Americans, July 29 ushered in a new era of hope and brought to this community an answer to almost 15 years of prayers and endless waiting.

On that historic date, our government reached an agreement with the government of Vietnam on a program for emigration of former re-education camp detainees, otherwise known as political prisoners.

Under the terms of this agreement, Vietnamese who were incarcerated in re-education camps because of their affiliation with the United States and South Vietnamese governments will be permitted to emigrate to the United States, many to rejoin their families.

After the fall of Saigon in April, 1975, an unknown number, but estimated to be several hundred thousand, possibly 1 million, Vietnamese citizens were sent to re-education camps.

Over the years thousands escaped; many died attempting escape or while in camps, some were released, and during 1987 and 1988 thousands of the remaining were released in a limited amnesty program. Over time, pressure on the Vietnamese government has steadily intensified to let these former prisoners emigrate to any country which would accept them.

Somehow, in our attempts to put the Vietnam war behind us, the plight of these men and women, many decorated war veterans, has been ignored. The prisoner releases and subsequent steps leading to the July 29 accord did not garner front page coverage and the accord itself was overshadowed by another legacy of our Vietnam involvement, Cambodia.

But the July 29 accord is good news for us all and should not be overlooked.

The first of the former prisoners, known in the community as POWs, will be here within weeks and we should be prepared to provide them the assistance they need for a successful transition. We now have another opportunity to welcome Vietnam veterans.

Seeing these men and women finally arrive here has special meaning for me as I reflect upon the time I shared with those I met in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, on my April, 1989, family reunification trip--a community-sponsored trip I made as chairman of the State Legislative Joint Committee on Refugee Resettlement.

I remember quite well praying in the cathedral in Saigon with a former political prisoner I shall call Mr. Lam, husband and father to an Orange County family. I was touched by his strength of spirit, despite what I knew to be the harsh circumstances of his life and the continual frustrations he faced in realizing his dream of reuniting with his family soon.

I went to Vietnam because I knew we had to keep letting the Vietnamese people know we cared. The former political prisoners I met there let me know how important our interventions were to them. For the 350,000 Vietnamese in California, 25% of whom live in Orange County, I knew our mission was important. Our efforts joined the work of many pushing the cause of the political prisoners and family reunification.

Although released, they have no role, no job, no income. The impasse on negotiating to let them leave left them with little option but to risk escape and perhaps die, either at sea or the hands of pirates.

The United States and Vietnam set up the orderly departure program as a safe option to emigrate to the United States. But that door was shut to former political prisoners for so long--either negotiations were stalled or conditions were deemed unacceptable.

For me, and for so many new Californians, this breakthrough has great meaning. I think of Mr. Lam and now have hope for him and his family. And I believe the story of these brave men whose fight for freedom did not end in 1975 brings us face to face with our own blessings as free Americans.

As the Vietnam veterans who preceded them faced problems coming back, they too, will find the road rocky as they build their new lives here.

But we can help. We can appreciate their sacrifice and extend the hand of friendship.

We can build upon the hope and great spirit that kept them alive and work together to help rebuild their lives.