
Administrator’s note
Khanh K. Pham is a youngest daughter of Mr. & Mrs Tung N. Pham of Gahana, Ohio. Mr. Pham is a former Lt. Col. of the
Vietnamese Air Force of the Republic of (South) Viet Nam. He fled South Viet Nam and came to America in 1975
with his family as political refugees to avoid living under the totalitarian,
communist regime.
After 27 busy years working to reconstruct
their life and put their children through college, the couple retired in 2002.
During their retirement, they have been very active in community activities to
remind future generation of the root cause of the painful exodus of the
Nationalist Vietnamese and, Freedom is not Free.
Khanh K. Pham represents the young generation of American of
Vietnamese descent. While she understands,
appreciates and enjoys freedom in her adopted country, she does not forget her
compatriots who are living in Viet
Nam under the cruel communist regime with
absolutely no basic Human Rights.
Below is her speech on Viet Nam Day at Ohio State Capitol on April 29, 2012.
We are proud of you Khanh. Keep up the good work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome
to the 4th Annual Heritage Freedom Flag Day for the Republic of Vietnam. It is my honor to be speaking to all of
you today. I am so happy to be here
as we remember all the sacrifices made so that you and I can be free today.
I came to the United States
in 1975 when I was 4 years old. I had my hardships living in a foreign country,
but nothing that would’ve compared to my life had my parents not
immigrated to the United
States.
The
second sentence of the U.S. Constitution states:” We hold these truths to
be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain “unalienable rights that among these are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This is our basic human right as a
U.S.
citizen.
I
believe that most Americans take their basic human rights for granted. Today, Americans
are allowed to have their own beliefs and to have the freedom of speech. They
are free from fear and unwarranted imprisonment. Meanwhile, people living in Vietnam have
little or no basic human rights whatsoever, no freedom or democracy. They live
in fear of beatings and imprisonment for expressing their suffering, pain and
poverty through their essays, art or music.
Here
are three examples of our countrymen, who have been persecuted for trying to
exercising their human rights in Vietnam. Viet Khang,
a musician and songwriter, who wrote the popular songs called “Where is
My Vietnam and Who are You” was imprisoned after
he released his song on YouTube, describing the pain, poverty, suffering and
misery felt by Vietnam
and its people. Father Nguyen van Ly, a Roman Catholic priest, was also imprisoned
for his non-violent pro-democracy movement and his collaboration with other
writers on the "Manifesto
on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam".
In addition, Reverend Thich
Quang Do, a Buddhist monk, was placed on house arrest
for 35 years, because the Communists believe he is a threat due to his leadership
in the fight for freedom and democracy for Vietnam. He has seen the suffering
of the Vietnamese; therefore, he would like to see Human Rights be restored to the
people of Vietnam.
For
everyone person, who has been wrongfully imprisoned by the Communist Vietnam,
there are probably hundreds of others that we do not know about. Every life
counts. When one of us suffers, we all suffer. Please do your part in easing
the suffering for yourself and for the people around you. Please call or write
your State Representative to encourage them to support the continued fight for
Human Rights for the Vietnamese people.
House
Bill 55 gives us the opportunity to raise the flag every year on April 29 to
remember not only the sacrifices made by many, but also to remember that human
rights are for everyone, not just some. As we raise the flag, remember Viet Khang. As we raise the flag, remember, Father Nguyen van
Ly. As we raise the flag, remember Reverend Thich Quang Do. As we raise the flag, remember the fight for
human rights is worth the sacrifice. As we raise the flag, remember that we all
have to do our part to ensure that Human rights are preserved for
everyone.

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