Bay Area News Group Blog Editor/Internal Affairs
Tam Nguyen and Manh Nguyen (no relation), two Vietnamese-American City Council members in San Jose, sent a letter to President of the United States Barack Obama to express their dismay over the U.S. policy toward Vietnam.
Tam Nguyen, the councilman for District 7 in San Jose, sent a letter blasting Ted Osius for wearing the Vietnamese communist flag on his lapel. (Photo courtesy: Sanjoseca.gov)
In their Aug. 27 letter, Nguyen and Nguyen wrote, “we find ourselves in the strongest possible disagreement with your recent efforts to deepen ties with the communist regime in Vietnam while neglecting pressing issues of freedom, democracy, and human rights.”
They also took issue with Ambassador Ted Osius, who visited San Jose a month earlier, saying “he further betrayed our values by displaying a symbol of the Hanoi Communist Red Flag on his lapel while forbidding the Vietnamese Freedom (Yellow) Flag to be photographed with him.”
Elected to the 4th district in San Jose, Nguyen joined fellow Vietnamese councilman Tam Nguyen in sending a letter to POTUS regarding the way the administration is handling ties with Vietnam.(Photo courtesy: Sanjoseca.gov)
The councilmen wrote that Osius’ “blatant disregard for the values of Vietnamese-Americans” has “severely strained the relationship between Vietnamese-Americans and their government.”
They insisted action needed to be taken but did not elaborate on what those should be.
To read the full story, click here:
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/internal-affairs/2015/09/02/san-jose-councilmen-give-potus-a-taste-of-little-saigon/
