Vietnam
criticizes McCain for torture allegations
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Vietnam has
criticized Republican presidential candidate John McCain
for claiming he was tortured during 5 1/2 years as a
prisoner of war in the infamous ``Hanoi Hilton'' and
using derogatory terminology for Vietnamese.
``John McCain's words and statements,
which lack goodwill, have hurt the Vietnamese and Asian
peoples,'' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh
said in a statement issued Monday in response to queries
from Hanoi-based foreign correspondents.
E-mails have circulated in the
Asian-American community criticizing McCain for calling
Asians ``gooks.'' The Arizona senator said he has used
the term for his prison guards.
He also has released medical records
in which the Navy commander talked of being mistreated
so badly while a prisoner of war that he tried twice to
hang himself.
Vietnam has consistently denied
torturing any prisoners of war. Most of the ``Hanoi
Hilton'' prison has been torn down, but a section has
been kept and turned into a museum with photos showing
POWs relaxing. Some POWs have said the scenes were
staged.
``In relations with countries that
once had been hostile with Vietnam, it is our policy to
temporarily put the past aside, look forward to the
future and cooperate for mutual development,'' Thanh
said. ``We think the U.S. side understands this.
``The U.S. war of aggression has seen
numerous crimes and sufferings brought upon Vietnamese
people. It is the Vietnamese people who have the right
to speak about these things. It was a sad chapter in the
history of relations between the two countries.''
Relations between Vietnam and the
United States were normalized five years ago, and the
two countries have been negotiating a bilateral trade
deal. On April 30, Vietnam will mark the 25th
anniversary of the end of the war.
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