"Quê
Me's network of democratic activists in Viet Nam has enabled us to provide
swift and reliable information to the international community on the status of
human rights violations in Viet Nam, and urge governments and international
organizations to pressure the Vietnamese government to make reforms."
--Vo Van
Ai, President, Vietnam Committee on Human Rights
"Today,
China's greatest challenge is dealing with problems of workers as the country
restructures its economy. We believe that if workers can begin to responsibly
consult with management that China will have a chance to move peacefully
towards a more democratic society."
--Han
Dongfang, Editor, China Labor Bulletin
NED's
multi-faceted program in China includes support for human rights monitoring and
education, publications that provide a forum for the uncensored views of
Chinese democrats, work with reformers at the provincial level on electoral
reform, symposia on market reform issues, and promotion of international labor
rights standards. Recipients of funding include Chinese dissidents and their
support groups in the West, among them Harry Wu and the Laogai Research
Foundation, Wang Juntao and the China Strategic Institute, and the Hong
Kong-based labor activist Han Dongfang. Upon his return to the United States
following incarceration in China in the summer of 1995, Harry Wu stated,
"Without NED's support, my colleagues and I simply could not continue to
document and report the truth about China's gulag and how it stands in the way
of the development of democracy." In my humble opinion, the money for NED
"puts the American people squarely behind those struggling for the cause
that America has always represented to others around the world--'the cause of
freedom'."
The Hong Kong-based Labour Education and Information
Center, which is supported by NED through the Asian American Free Labor
Institute, published two reports in its China Labour Bulletin that effectively
challenged Chinese government propaganda about the role of women in China
during the period leading up to the UN Conference on Women held in Beijing. These
reports discussed the plight of women workers in various industrial sectors,
efforts of government-controlled groups to prevent independent unions, and
suggestions for reform. The
publications, which received widespread media coverage outside China, were
confiscated by security personnel as an attempt was made to distribute them
during the Beijing conference.
NED also
supported a multi-faceted program in Burma, where the unexpected release of Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi brought a glimmer of hope for democratic progress. NED funding
(through the National Coalition for Democracy) for the efforts of the National
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) to heighten international
awareness of the situation in Burma helped increase pressure for improvements
in the human rights situation and for Suu Kyi's release. The International
Republican Institute (IRI) provided financial and technical support to the
National League for Democracy/Liberated Areas. Despite the pressures imposed by
Burma's pervasive internal security, IRI worked with elements of the
prodemocracy movement located on the border areas and within Burma to support
the exiled democratically-elected government. Through the Asian American Free
Labor Institute, vital assistance is being provided to the Federation of Trade
Unions of Burma to develop trade union materials, train educators and
organizers, and publish a newsletter for workers inside the country and along
the
Thai-Burmese
border. With NED funding, a twice-daily short-wave radio program known as the
"Democratic Voice of Burma" became a dependable source of information
throughout Burma and was a major source of news and information for Suu Kyi
during her years of house arrest. NED support also helped to double the
circulation of The New Era, a bimonthly Burmese language newspaper covering
current conditions in the country and the activities of the prodemocracy
movement. Both the "Democratic Voice of Burma" and The New Era have
become integral parts of the democratic leadership's strategic plan to rally
support for a democratic transition. Dr. Sein Win, the elected prime minister
of the NCGUB, has recognized NED for its support, noting the critical role the
Endowment has played in helping Burma's democratic forces continue their
struggle to restore democracy.
IRI has
also been active in Mongolia, the one country in Asia that has moved from
communism to democracy, helping two democratic parties prepare for the
country's second round of parliamentary elections, to be held in 1996. To
compete effectively against a ruling parliamentary party that has vastly
superior resources, these parties were encouraged to develop national party
platforms and a means of communicating them to rural dwellers who make up 80
percent of the population. At a training session held in September for the
national leadership and party leaders from each of the 18 provinces and three
municipalities, IRI trainers emphasized the need to develop a strategic plan
for the ten months prior to the election.
