Letter to Obama

March 10, 2009

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing to you as a citizen and a fan. I have followed your rise. I have read the story of your life. You are a product of two unusual parents (and if I may say so, so am I). You could have pursued an easy life with a law degree from Harvard and the distinction of being the editor of Harvard Law School Review. But you chose to be a community organizer upon graduation because you believed you could make a difference in people’s lives. Such was a vision of a leader.

Humans are social animals. Human history is replete with stories of individuals who, for better or worse, stood out and led others and made an impact on people’s lives, nations, and the world. I happen to believe strongly that at this juncture in American history, you are the right kind of leader, the one who can arrest the relative decline of America and restore its greatness with programs on your agenda. America, for all its faults, is still a liberal democracy and a shining beacon for other nations, especially in Southeast Asia where I originally came from. The world has looked for America for leadership ever since the end of World War II. That is another reason why I am writing to you.

China, in contrast to America, is not a liberal democracy. It is a rising power and is bent on resuming its territorial expansion which has been a cornerstone of its foreign policy since the Han people rose to prominence in East Asia about three thousands years ago. The annexation of Xinjiang and Tibet was part of China’s master plan of expansion in the modern era. Your decision to meet with the Dalai Lama spoke volumes about your character. China is not content with Xinjiang and Tibet being within its fold. It has been coveting Vietnam for thousands of years. The impetus for my audacity to write to you was the latest issuance of National Geographic Society of world maps in September 2009, showing the Paracel Islands as part of China, instead of the correct status as being disputed territories between Vietnam and China (http://www.natgeomaps.com/world decorator zoomify.html? zoomifyImagePath=assets/files/zoomify/re00622077/re00622077 1 img&zommifyNavigatorVisible=false) . My attached letter to the National Geographic Society would explain why.

Mr. President, if China is allowed to expand unchecked, in due time Vietnam and all of Southeast Asia would fall under its domination. Then China would be indeed a formidable opponent for America and pose a real threat to America’s own existence. I know you have been very busy with the domestic agenda and the war in the Afghanistan and problems with Iran, but the situation in Southeast Asia is the real powder keg which can explode at any time. China today is very much like Nazi Germany in the 1930’s. If unchecked and unrestrained, China will cause the world to plunge into chaos and horrific loss of lives.

I thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Ba Ngo
Email address: wissai@yahoo.com

March 10, 2010

National Geographic Society
1145 17th St, NW
Washington, D.C 20036-4688
pressroom@ngs.org
Attn: Mr. Chris Jones, Editor in Chief

Dear Mr. Jones:

The recent map of the East Sea, also known as South China Sea, put out by your society showed the Paracel Islands ( Hoàng Sa in Vietnamese) belonging to China.
http://www.natgeomaps.com/world_decorator_zoomify.html?zoomifyImagePath=assets/files/zoomify/re00622077/re00622077_1_img&zoomifyNavigatorVisible=false
We urge you to reclassify the islands and put them under the correct status as being disputed by Vietnam and China. In the interests of scholarship and fairness, we ask you to reconsider the classification based on the following points:

1. The Islands in question, as well as those of the Spratly archipelago (Trường Sa in Vietnamese), historically belonged to Vietnam. We have legal documents and human habitation to claim sovereignty. No other countries claimed ownership of these Islands until recent discoveries of rich oil and gas deposits around the Islands. In English, please see the website http://www.paracelspratly.com/home/index.php?option=com_news_portal&Itemid=39. In Vietnamese, please see an article by a Frenchman who became a naturalized Vietnamese and took a Vietnamese name http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/forum/2010/03/100302_menras_comment.shtml

2. In 1974, taking advantage of the withdrawal of the American troops from the war theater in Vietnam, China invaded the Paracel Islands and after a brief but bloody naval battle with the forces of the then Republic of Vietnam has occupied the Paracel Islands. The united Vietnam after 1975 has NEVER relinquished the ownership of the Paracel Islands as well as that of Spratly Islands. It has vigorously protested the illegal Chinese occupation of the Paracel Islands as well as some on the Spratly Islands not only directly to China, but also to the United Nations. In fact it sponsored an international conference about the matter in November 2009, held in Hanoi, Vietnam. Please see the papers filed with UNCLOS committee:
http://freelecongdinh.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/vnm2009n_executivesummary.pdf
http://freelecongdinh.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/mys_vnm2009excutivesummary.pdf
Your magazine recognized the fact that China took the Paracel Islands and some of the Spratly Islands from Vietnam by force, as well as China’s ambition to dominate Asia. Here is what you said on page 10 of the Dec 1998 issue: “In 1988 China sank Vietnamese ships, killing at least 70 sailors, before taking several of the Spratlys- the most serious clash since it seized the Paracel Islands from Vietnam in 1974. Tensions fuel a local arms race as well as fears that China aims to dominate all Asia by controlling the sea.”
3. In fact, the continued military build-up in Southeast Asia is the direct result of Chinese aggression in the area. Indonesia is increasing its military budget. The recent decision of Vietnam to purchase state-of-the-art submarines and jet fighters from Russia is a response to China's threat. So is Vietnam's recent mobilization of forces including calling its citizens to the military draft and strengthening of the forces on its coast facing Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands.

4. Your classification of the Paracel Islands as part of China is seen as putting a non-governmental seal of approval on a matter which is under dispute. This action could cloud legal international interpretations for many years to come. We are writing this letter because National Geographic Society is a respectable organization and its maps are widely consulted as reference.

Thank you for your prompt consideration.

On behalf of concerned Vietnamese,

Ba Ngo