Letters pour in on proposed safe haven

Vietnamese people from different parts of the world seems to have started a campaign to bombard the CNMI government with letters in support of the proposed safe haven regulations.

Since last week, letters have been pouring into the office of Speaker and governor-elect Benigno R. Fitial asking for support for an effort to establish a safe house in the Commonwealth for Vietnamese girls sold to white slavery in Cambodia.

Letters sent by six different people from the Netherlands and three others from Australia have identical content.

“Through the United States International Mission Saipan and world media, I heard about the efforts being made to establish a safe house [for] Vietnamese children who are victims of human trafficking in South East Asia,” each of the letters began.

“God has a special love for children because of their innocence which glorifies the very being of God. Your generosity in helping the most uncared for of His children will reap great rewards in heaven for the people of Saipan and the Northern Marianas. So I urge you please to support in passing the resolution to help those forgotten children of God,” the letters also said.

There were also letters sent by two people from California, including one who identified himself as chief chaplain of a group called “Government of Free Vietnam.” Both letter-senders cited USIM, a non-profit organization initiating the safe haven project in the CNMI.

Another letter-sender, a man of Vietnamese descent who is now a Canadian citizen owning a printing company in Ontario, also called on Fitial to support the passage of the proposed safe haven regulations.

Meanwhile, a man who identified himself as a Vietnamese-American based in southern California contested USIM’s claim that there are 500,000 Vietnamese-American in southern California in its network. The claim is groundless, according to Hu Nguyen of Norwalk, California.

Hu Nguyen also said he and his fellow Vietnamese-Americans in southern California “never heard that news in helping or supporting the children trafficked to Cambodia saved by USIM and CNMI.”

“We think that if somebody told you and AG Pamela Brown that news (500,000 rich V-As ready to adopt the unfortunate children!), they are liars in attempting to cheat the CNMI government, because no such news was issued or broadcasted on Vietnamese radio programs or published in Vietnamese language newspapers in Southern California or over the world!” Hu Nguyen wrote the Saipan Tribune.

“We appreciate any help from you and the CNMI government to save the Vietnamese children trafficked to Cambodia, but we urge you all to reconsider what the truth or the deceit is when any non-profit organization’s representatives told you,” he added.