West OC Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid ongoing religious freedom concerns, Rep. Michelle Steel is calling on the Communist Party of Vietnam to end their effort to return refugee and religious minority Y Quynh Bdap to Vietnam.

In a letter to Vietnam Ambassador to the U.S. Nguyen Quoc Dzung, Steel urges Vietnam to end the extradition request for Y Quynh Bdap, a member of the minority Vietnamese Christian Montagnards currently imprisoned in Thailand. Last week, Steel called on American and Thai diplomats to assist in the release of Y Quynh Bdap and other Vietnamese refugees.

“This attempt to suppress the freedom of religion of Vietnamese Christian Montagnards is immoral and violates international obligations on human rights,” wrote Steel in a letter to Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dzung. “Since Montagnard Indigenous and religious minorities have historically been victims of torture and imprisonment by Vietnamese authorities, I therefore request that you halt the extradition attempt and refoulement of Y Quynh Bdap.”

While Y Quynh Bdap’s extradition hearing in Thailand was recently postponed, his refugee status makes it imperative that the extradition process end and he be allowed to safely seek refuge in a third country.

Steel represents a large population of Vietnamese Americans in the Little Saigon community of Orange County. Her letter to Ambassador Knapper can be found here.