Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Feb. 10 (VNA) -- More and more Vietnamese people inside and outside the country have criticized the Virginia House Rules Committee's Bill H.B. 2829, which would allow the flag of the former Sai Gon administration to be flown at public schools in Virginia State.

An overseas Vietnamese residing in the United States has written a letter, blasting a group of Vietnamese in Virginia who are urging the state's legislative agencies to approve the bill H.B. 2829.

The letter writes: "We, the Vietnamese people loving the native land, have to write this letter referring to erroneous doing by the Virginia House Rules Committee that approved the bill H.B. 2829 on Jan. 31." At present, some reactionary organisations of the former Sai Gon regime are launching a clandestine drive through the internet to call upon overseas Vietnamese to sign a petition asking the U.S. Government and Congress to replace Viet Nam's official flag with the three-striped flag of a regime that immediately after its establishment had been henchmen (Bao Dai and Ngo Dinh Diem) of the French colonialists and U.S. aggressors and caused so much suffering to the nation," the letter says.

It clearly points out the aim of these organisations, saying that they have abused the support of some dishonest American politicians to continue arousing national feuds and dividing the great national unity with a view to hindering the progress of the national construction and development cause, and causing instability and public disorder in Viet Nam.

The letter stresses that not a few reactionary elements have been allowed to return to Viet Nam thanks to the Government's open and humanitarian policy. However, they do not want Viet Nam to become a prosperous, civilized and equitable country.

It called upon the Vietnamese Government and people to take drastic measures to prevent such erroneous and ridiculous actions.

Buddhist Most Reverend Thich Hien Phap slammed Virginia's decision as being insolent. "It runs counter to the international practices," he said, asking the U.S. President to give an opinion on this problem and not to let a U.S. state harm the relations between the two countries.

Colonel Huynh Hien, on behalf of war veterans in Ho Chi Minh City, demanded the U.S. Government and President to cancel such an erroneous bill.

Meanwhile, National Assembly official Nguyen Thi Nguyet said that the Vietnamese people who want to shelve the past to build the future cannot ignore the wrong doing of the Virginia House Rules Committee. The majority of overseas Vietnamese are looking towards the nation and everybody wishes for unity and development of the country. "The bill is an intolerable crime as it has inculcated a past of sorrow and animosity towards their homeland in young Vietnamese generations," she said.