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Questions Answered

By Barry Romo

Kampuchea; Re-education Camps; Refugees; Amerasian Children?

During our visit we were able to meet with a number of important Vietnamese officials in the Foreign Ministry including Nguyen Dy Nien (Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs), Mr Dang Nghien Bai (Head of the North American Section of the Foreign Ministry), Mr Nu Hac Bong (Director of External Affairs for Ho Chi Minh City) and Mr Dang Nhgien Bai of the North American Department of the Foreign Ministry.

Throughout these meetings we asked the questions believed to be of special interest to Americans. What follows is a composite interview including answers to our questions from all the officials.

Kampuchea: The Vietnamese invasion and occupation of neighboring Kampuchea is often used as a horrible example of what happened after Vietnam defeated the U.S. forces—and then took up aggression against a neighboring state. However, the Vietnamese are in no way ashamed of having driven Pol Pot from power, and compare their action to that of the Allies in invading Germany to overthrow Hitler's Nazi regime. The Vietnamese see no reason to apologize.

At the same time, the Vietnamese are going to leave Kampuchea in 1990—they give this assurance without equivocation. It is not a case of we will get all our forces out if this happens or that happens: they simply say all their forces will be gone in 1990.

There are three reasons for their departure: first, it is hard to explain to Vietnamese families why their sons and daughters are in Kampuchea so long after the defeat of Pol Pot. Second, if they do not leave, Kampuchea will never learn how to stand alone. And finally, the Kampucheans don't want them there any longer.

Refugees: The Vietnamese had no problem with the orderly departure of people who wanted to leave Vietnam for the U.S. It was the U.S. government which will not accept anymore refugees. At this time there were 30,000 Vietnamese awaiting exit to the U.S.—they could leave Vietnam, but could not get into the U.S.

Amerasian Children: about half that Amerasian children in Vietnam had expressed a wish to go to the U.S. Some 50% of these are clear to leave but the U.S. sets immigration standards. These "children" must answer a hundred questions to qualify—although "children" is no longer appropriate since all of these young people are teenagers or young adults by now.

Amerasians are citizens, we were told, and there is no official or governmental discrimination; they have access to education jobs. But that does not mean the ordinary in not discriminate. The young people—the Amerasians—often want to live in the land of their fathers, a land bridge compared to Vietnam, a land where they believe they will be given everything you want or need, including cars, jobs, etc. None of this is surprising: many Third World countries picture the US is having streets paved with gold. And of course we hardly have to look all the way to Vietnam to see discrimination against minorities?there's plenty of discrimination right here against those considered "foreign."

In Vietnam there is a special problem with children of mixed blood: there is a stigma of having going out with GI's much less bury their children (and that is true of all of Asia, not just Vietnam). And the situation is only worsened if the woman is thought of as a prostitute, again not unknown feeling in the U.S.

Re-education Camps: there are still 6000 to 7000 people in re-education camps. At this point it is a slow process, especially with continued U.S. meddling in the internal affairs of Vietnam. Almost all those still in the camps are former high-ranking Saigon officials or military officers. These are men who spent their lives serving the French and then American interests instead of the interests of their own people. It is certainly not beyond reason to suspect that they could be listed once again if the price were right—and the U.S. can always come up with the bucks.

Foreign Visitors: On the day we left Vietnam a law was passed allowing any and all Vietnamese who had left to return to visit Vietnam. This invitation was extended to all Vietnamese, including those who left illegally, and seems a mark of the confidence and security the Vietnamese feel in their system. Americans, especially Vietnam vets, are also welcome to visit Vietnam to see the country once again.

—Barry Romo
VVAW National Office