Vietnamese Give Senate Candidate a Warm Welcome

Rep. Tom Campbell (R-San Jose), the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, was greeted warmly Friday by leaders and members of the Vietnamese community in Westminster.

At a luncheon sponsored by the Vietnamese American Voters Coalition and Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove), Campbell was praised for his interest in human rights and desire to learn more about Vietnamese issues.

Campbell spoke to 50 invited guests about his trip to Vietnam in December, when he met with government officials and religious leaders. As a member of the House International Relations Committee, Campbell said his focus had been on Africa. However, he has become increasingly involved in Vietnamese issues starting six years ago, when he began writing to the country’s Communist leaders about imprisoned freedom activists.

Steve Linh Nguyen, executive director of the Nguyen Ba Hoc Cultural Center in Westminster, said he was impressed with Campbell.

Campbell’s visit “is an honor for the Vietnamese community. Especially since he just came back from Vietnam,” Nguyen said. “He showed me that he has a positive attitude about the Vietnamese community.”

Especially noteworthy to Nguyen was Campbell’s position on education. Campbell, a professor at Stanford University Law School, said funding for education in California was a top priority.

During a question-answer period, Cambell was pressed to take a hard-line stance on bringing down the Communist regime in Vietnam. He referred to President Ronald Reagan’s view of the former Communist Russia as the “evil empire,” adding that he is opposed to any military action.

“The communists still are the evil empire,” he said. The dismantling of communist governments “should be a pillar of U.S. policy.”

Campbell is expected to make human rights a top issue in his campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Feinstein is one of China’s strongest advocates in Congress and has championed normal trade relations with the world’s most populous nation. She has also played a key role in negotiations to bring China into the World Trade Organization.

Campbell has argued that China’s human rights abuses and threats against Taiwan should not be rewarded with WTO membership. He opposes normalizing trade with China, insisting that it does not make sense from a political or economic standpoint.

Campbell, who also spoke at a community meeting in the evening, said he was happy to visit Westminster during a slow period of the election year before things heat up in September. He said he meets with Vietnamese constituents from San Jose regularly.

Alex Murashko can be reached at (714) 966-5974.