Senator Janet Nguyen calls on President Obama to discuss human rights during summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          Contact: Mark Reeder

February 12, 2016                                                                                           (916) 651-4034

Senator Janet Nguyen calls on President Obama to discuss human rights during summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
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(Sacramento, CA) Today, Senator Janet Nguyen sent a letter to President Barack Obama requesting that he discuss ongoing human rights abuses in Southeast Asia when he convenes a summit with government leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In addition to the letter, Senator Nguyen introduced Senate Joint Resolution 59, which formally calls on the President to introduce this critical topic as part of the summit’s agenda.

“I respectfully request that you assist the people of these Southeast Asian nations by using your authority as the President of the United States to emphasize that any agreement with the United States must carry protections of even the most basic human rights, particularly for agreements discussed on our soil in California,” said Senator Janet Nguyen.

On February 15^th and 16^th, President Obama will host leaders of Southeast Asian counties for an unprecedented summit at the historic Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, marking the first time that the United States will host Southeast Asian leaders on American soil.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967 to promote economic growth, social progress, cultural development, regional peace and stability, as well as collaboration and mutual assistance. According to a 2015 White House press release announcing the event, the upcoming U.S. ASEAN Summit seeks to strengthen cooperation on political, security and economic issues. Representatives of Vietnam, a member of ASEAN, are expected to attend generating great displeasure among Vietnamese-Americans, many of whom fled Vietnam in search of freedom.

“The Vietnamese government has shown no willingness to abide by international standards for human rights. Despite cries for justice, journalist, bloggers and activist continue to face intimidation and arbitrary arrest without due process,” said Senator Janet Nguyen. “I understand President Obama’s desire to promote cooperation in Southeast Asia but real progress cannot be made with nations that deny the most basic freedoms to their citizens.”

About Senator Janet Nguyen

Senator Janet Nguyen was overwhelmingly elected to represent the residents of California’s 34th State Senate District in 2014. With this victory, Senator Nguyen became the first woman elected to represent the 34th Senate District and the first Vietnamese-American in the country to be elected to the State Senate. Senator Nguyen is the highest-ranking Vietnamese American elected official in the United States.

The 34th State Senate District includes the cities of Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Westminster, the unincorporated communities of Midway City and Rossmoor, as well as portions of Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, and Orange.

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