To the honourable Speaker and members of the House of Representatives assembled in parliament.

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House our concerns over human rights abuse in Vietnam, particularly:

The Vietnamese government's continued detention, house arrest and harassment of political dissidents and religious leaders;

The restrictions of freedom of speech, the press, assembly and association in Vietnam;

We call on the Australian government to:

1. Take concrete steps to monitor the human rights situation in Vietnam, including requesting the Vietnamese government to allow Australian diplomats to visit those alleged to be prisoners of conscience and to do so on a regular basis.

2. Make regular representations to relevant Vietnamese ministers and officials in Vietnam and the Vietnamese embassy in Canberra for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience and for accelerated progress in moves to wind back restrictions on democratic freedoms.

3. Provide the parliament with regular reporting on its human rights representations to the government of Vietnam on the response by Vietnam and the overall human rights situation in Vietnam.