SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1752        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1419

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act to Recognize the Flag of the Former Republic of Vietnam..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

WHEREAS, The people of the former Republic of Vietnam were valiant in their resistance to the aggression of communist North Vietnam, and thousands of Vietnamese men and women made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom;

WHEREAS, Many officers and enlisted personnel of the former Republic of Vietnam, as well as teachers, intellectuals, and artists, were imprisoned as enemies of the state; and

WHEREAS, The current government of Vietnam continues to harass, interrogate, and arrest individuals advocating democracy;

WHEREAS, The flag of the free Vietnamese people consists of three horizontal stripes of red upon a field of gold, and this flag is an eternal symbol of the hope and love of freedom for all people of Vietnamese descent, just as the American flag symbolizes these virtues for citizens

across the United States;

WHEREAS, Dating back to 1948, the red and gold striped flag has a history in Vietnam and is a broader symbol of resilience, freedom, and democracy for the Vietnamese-American community;

WHEREAS, This flag remains as a poignant reminder of the threat of communism and the imperative of remaining vigilant in opposition to tyranny of all forms and to actively support human rights;

WHEREAS, The end of the Vietnam conflict produced an exodus of over two million Vietnamese seeking political asylum in the free world who bravely risked their lives to live under the prosperity of democracy;

WHEREAS, Many of these refugees settled in Massachusetts, and thousands of Vietnamese Americans and residents of Vietnamese descent live in Massachusetts;

WHEREAS, Massachusett’s Vietnamese-American community has a long history of and makes significant contributions to the cultural, religious, and political realms and the business and economic development of Massachusetts; 

WHEREAS, The legislature does hereby recognize that the people of the former Republic of Vietnam, also known as South Vietnam, were valiant in their resistance to the aggression of the communist North Vietnam;

WHEREAS, The legislature further finds that refugees from the former Republic of Vietnam who emigrated to the United States of America and settled in the commonwealth of Massachusetts should be honored and remembered for their sacrifices; and

SECTION 1.  The only flag depicting the country of Vietnam that may be displayed in any state-sponsored public function or any public institution of learning shall be the flag of the former Republic of Vietnam.