Project Ngoc New Exhibit at UC Irvine

The UCI Libraries is pleased to announce the opening of an inspiring new exhibit, “Hope of Freedom: Project Ngoc’s Decade of Dedication on Tuesday, April 24th, at 5:30 pm in Langson Library. The exhibit chronicles the history and wide-reaching impact of Project Ngoc (Project Pearl), a UCI student-led humanitarian organization whose decade of activism raised awareness and support for the plight of Vietnamese refugees detained in camps in Asia after the Vietnam War.

This special evening will feature a talk by Manuel N. Gómez, Ph.D, Vice Chancellor Emeritus, Student Affairs, titled Student Activism and Social Justice: A History of Social Change. The program will include introductions by Interim University Librarian Lorelei Tanji and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Thomas Parham, Ph.D.

Conceived in 1987 by graduate student Tom Wilson, Project Ngoc grew into a remarkable humanitarian effort that made a difference in the lives of many Vietnam War refugees. Hope of Freedom traces Project Ngoc’s impressive accomplishments, including sending student volunteers to camps in Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Philippines to teach classes and deliver gifts, supplies and financial donations. Featured prominently in the exhibit are photographs of the camps, and paintings the refugees made, many with powerful images of their desperate yearning for freedom. The exhibit highlights Project Ngoc’s influence at the local, national, and international level through newsletters, student journals, and program materials that reveal the group’s tireless efforts on behalf of the refugees.

Project Ngoc donated their rich materials to the Southeast Asian Archive, which is part of the UCI Libraries Special Collections & Archives Department, where they are available for research. The nationally recognized Southeast Asian Archive documents the experiences of refugees and immigrants from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam who came to the United States - many to California - beginning in 1975.

Our guest speaker Manuel Gómez served as UCI Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs before retiring in 2011 after 38 years of service to the campus and UC system. Over the course of his career, Gómez inspired countless students to meet their goals and laid a strong foundation for academic, character and leadership excellence at UCI. His legacy includes founding the UCI Center for Educational Partnerships, co-founding the UC-wide Silk Road to the Future, and establishing the UCI XIV Dalai Lama Endowed Scholarship. A published poet, Gómez received the UCI Medal in 2011.

A light reception and exhibit viewing will follow the presentation. The event is free and open to the public. Space is limited; reservations are first come, first served. Please go to http://partners.lib.uci.edu/projectngoc to make an online reservation. For further information please call 949.824.4651 or email partners@uci.edu.

Hope of Freedom will be on display through October 2012 in the Langson Library Muriel Ansley Reynolds Gallery during regular library hours.

White House and Vietnamese-American Petition

Tel: 714.636.1121 Fax: 714.260.0236
10501 Garden Grove Blvd. , Garden Grove, CA 92843, USA March 8th, 2012

SBTN PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HUMAN RIGHTS FOR VIETNAM

The Vietnamese American community is united in its desire to promote human rights in Vietnam. More than 130,000 (as of March 5th and in counting) Vietnamese Americans signed a petition to ask for the Obama Administration’s assistance in releasing prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. SBTN created a plaque to memorialize this petition and has tendered the plaque to the White House staff to deliver to the President. After March 8, the White House will issue an official response to the petition.

The White House Office of Public Engagement quickly responded to the need for an open dialogue with the Vietnamese American community by hosting a briefing for 165 Vietnamese Americans from over 30 states on March 5. The briefing was a general meeting to educate participants about different aspects of the U.S. government’s work on diaspora engagement, global partnership, and human rights.

At the briefing, Dr. Quintan Wiktorowicz, Senior Director for Community Partnerships at the National Security Council, spoke about the community’s resilience and spirit and how this is part of the American experience. Dr. Wiktorowicz spoke of partnership with the Vietnamese American community.

Vietnamese Americans were also briefed by a panel of State Department speakers. The panel included: Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner; Director of Global Partnerships, Thomas Debass; and, Acting Director for Mainland Southeast Asia in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, Eric Barboriak. Assistant Secretary Posner expressed his efforts to promote human rights issues throughout ongoing discussions with Vietnam. His State Department colleagues emphasized the different ways in which the U.S. government is engaging on these issues with the Vietnamese government.

Briefing participants were able to present their questions and concerns directly to the panel of speakers from the Administration regarding current human rights policy, trade, religious freedom, and other issues. The government panel duly took notes of all the questions and concerns. Dialogue and interaction between the Vietnamese American community and the Obama Administration needs to continue regarding these matters.

Outside of the White House, more than 1,000 petitioners from fifty states stood in Lafayette Square with signs proclaiming “Free Viet Khang” and “Human Rights for Vietnam”, despite the cold weather.

The meeting between the Vietnamese American community and Obama Administration officials is a dialogue that needs to continue. Community members should sign up on the U.S. Department of State website to get regular updates on human rights, religious freedom, trafficking of human persons, internet freedom, press freedom, and many other issues that drove Vietnamese Americans to participate in the We the People petition drive at :

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USSTATEBPA/subscriber/new?

Phu Do Nguyen, vice president of SBTN, was informed through White House staff that The Obama Administration needs to hear from Vietnamese Americans regarding violations of human rights. U.S. Department of State officials are open to meetings and briefings with individuals and organizations to provide update on violations and conditions in Vietnam.

As in 2008, President Barack Obama stated, "I strongly believe that the human rights record of the government of Vietnam remains unsatisfactory. Political opposition movements are prohibited, independent human rights organizations are banned, and the government continues to crack down on dissent by arresting political activists and disrupting opposition organizations. It is past time for the government of Vietnam to do far more to protect human rights and to advance the freedom of all of its people." SBTN recognizes the Administration’s commitment to these issues and hopes that the administration will do more to engage with the Vietnamese American community on human rights. Most of all, SBTN desires to see more tangible evidence of Vietnam’s progress towards human rights, as more individuals abroad are reporting human rights violations.

The same petitioners that met the White House officials on March 5 also joined many more Vietnamese Americans on March 6 to secure Congressional support for Vietnam Human Rights Act (HR 1410), Vietnam Human Rights Sanctions Act (HR 156) and H.Res. 484 “Calling on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to respect basic human rights” and other human rights related bills.

Vietnamese American voices are heard throughout Capitol Hill as more than 700 constituents and petitioners divided into teams to visit almost 100 Senate and 435 House offices on March 6. This is a historic moment for the Vietnamese community as it's the first ever event to bring as many as 700 people to the political center of democracy, organized and united behind one common cause – Human Rights For Vietnam. Truc Ho, CEO of SBTN, believes that President Obama, who is a human rights advocate, will advance the pro-democratic values of the Vietnamese American and that all the petitioners will be with him every step of the way to build a stronger and inclusive America.

San José Police Department Recruiting Police Officers

Interested in becoming a police officer?

The San José Police Department is currently looking for highly motivated individuals who are looking for an exciting career in law enforcement.

To find out whether you meet the minimum qualifications and to learn about the hiring process, be sure to review the "Hiring Process" and "Qualifications" at:

www.sjpd.org/JoinSJPDBlue.

After reviewing the SJPD website, if you still have questions:

contact a recruiter or call (408) 277-4951.

Supervisor Dave Cortese & President Obama

Jade Buddha of Compassion & Supervisor Dave Cortese

Dear Vietnamese-American Leaders:

 

 

On behalf of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the Di Lac Temple, I would like to invite you to attend a Ceremony for Greeting the Jade Buddha of Compassion in San Jose, which will be held at 11.00 AM on March 3rd, 2012 at Unify Center, 765 Story Road in San Jose, CA.

This ceremony will feature the world acclaimed Jade Buddha of Compassion, which is one of the largest Buddha carved from gemstone quality jade in the United States of America. The Jade Buddha is a solemn and prayerful symbol of compassion, empathy, love and peace and it arrives in San Jose for the first time.

It is a privilege and honor for Santa Clara County to have been selected as a host site for the Jade Buddha of Compassion. This beautiful statue serves to encourage and inspire all citizens of the human race to reflect on love and compassion; compassion and love within the community, compassion and love within each of us, compassion and love within the family. I feel extremely humbled to have been asked by the Di Lac Temple to help organize this unique opportunity and I hope you will join us in this awe-inspiring experience.

The Grand Opening Ceremony will be attended by diverse representation from the faith, political and grassroots communities, and will include a special prayer for world peace and compassion.

The Jade Buddha of Compassion is a spectacular sight for all to see and I hope you can make time to participate in the ceremony. For more information or to RSVP, please contact The-Vu Nguyen in my office at (408) 299-5038 or the-vu.nguyen@bos.sccgov.org or Venerable Thich Quang Bao at (408) 888-2062 or dilactemple@gmail.com.

Thank you for your consideration of this invitation and I look forward to seeing you at the event.

Sincerely,

Dave Cortese

Co-Chair of the Jade Buddha of Compassion Committee

Santa Clara County Supervisor-District Three

Tyler Diep Quits the Race for State Assembly

As has been rumored since last week in Little Saigon,  Tyler Diep officially announced his intention to quit the race for 72nd Assembly District.  This is a newly drawn district where Asian American voters will be a deciding factor in the race.   His reason - " A new tactical change and also the situation is not favorable".     He felt that since there are 2 other Vietnamese-American candidates in the race, he does not want to be in a three-way battle vying for the Vietnamese-American votes.

This is quite strange for somebody who was supposedly the strongest candidate with the support of well known Republican leaders and also his amazing ability to raise money.  Within 2 months of his announcement to run, he has raised over $130,000. 

The other two Vietnamese- American candidates so far could hardly raise any money.  One of them is a perenial candidate for state assemblyman for the last 10 years,  Long Pham.   He is considered to be a joke within Little Saigon and has decided to take out a $100,000 loan instead of trying to go about raising money.

What even more puzzling why he was so unsure of himself is that  he has the personal support of the editor-in-chief of Nguoi Viet Daily News.   Matter of fact,  Nguoi Viet Daily News has indirectly promoting his campaign by giving him extensive media exposure for the last 2 months.   This is the largest newspaper in town and still quite influential.

So Tyler must know something that everybody in Little Saigon knows,  Van Tran and his cohorts are not well liked within the Vietnamese-American voters in Little Saigon.   He does not have a Vietnamese-American base since the voters rather vote for a political jokester like Long Pham than him.

Anyway, the winner in this new landscape is Do Vinh, the democratic candidate and the husband of Dina Nguyen, the one time supervisor candidate against Janet Nguyen.

What is next for Tyler,  the rumor is that he will be running  for mayor against Tri Ta.    What would even be more interesting is to see if Andy Quach would test the water and also run for the mayoral seat in 2012?  He and Tyle Diep have a big fallout recently because of their personal business competition against each other. 

John Tran Guilty of Bribery & Van Tran Cohorts

John Tran, a member of the "Gang of Seven" of former state Assemblyman Van Tran, recently pleaded guilty for bribery.  Basically when he was the mayor of Rosemead, he used his office to bully a developer in paying him money on the side in order to get the building permit approved.    Appearantly, he is not as smart as his "Gang of Seven" cohorts, in this case, Andy Quach and Tyler Diep, city council members of Wesminster.   But first let us read the news as published by Whittier Daily News -

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_19890654

There had been rumors of corruption but it took a developer who has the gut to be the informant for the FBI to bring down John Tran.

According to the Whittier Daily News -

Cathy Satterfield, president of the El Monte Union teachers union, often questioned Tran's integrity during his tenure at the district.

While Tran has not been charged with any wrongdoing at the school district, Satterfield said she had concerns about how the board was awarding contracts and taking bids on projects

I don't know what to say besides, 'I told you so,"' she said. "When you make a decision like that, you can't turn back the clock." ........

Now let us go back to Tyler Diep and Andy Quach.  It is well known that both Andy Quach and Tyler Diep have their own consultant firms involving in helping client getting permits from housing development, opening a restaurant to liquor license. 

The business is booming it seems for each of them have multiple houses and at least two Mercedes in their respective garages.   This is a perk that goes along with being a council member in a small town where it is not a full time job. 

When Van Tran was still in power, his underlings Tyler Diep and Andy Quach knew that in order to be successful, they had to learn how to share the actions.   Well, now without adult supervison,  Quach and Diep are at each other throat vying for every bit of business.    It is not a suprise in Little Saigon that Quach is not endorsing Diep for assemblyman or even provide Diep with any politcal support. 

In the mean time, poor John Tran.   He was a strong supporter of Van Tran and the Trannie as they were vying for political offices.     But now, according to his wife, none of the  members of the  "Gang of Seven" even bother to reach out to him during his trying time.