“Currently there is a crackdown and some people say this is one of the worst cycles of crackdown that Vietnam seen in years.

I think this is precisely why it’s very important to continue to support civil society programs whether by VOICE or by any other independent civil society inside and outside of Vietnam.

To keep independent voices alive and to increase the skills and knowledge of civil society activists and human rights defenders. And to continue to engage the government and to make the government realize that an independent and vibrant civil society is actually good for the country in the long run.”

Shiwei Ye is secretary of VOICE’s Board of Directors, American.

Shiwei has worked with local, regional and international human rights organisations in advocacy, research, human rights defenders protection, capacity-building, and grant-making in Southeast Asia and East Asia.

Shiwei was the senior programme officer for the Chinese NGO Human Rights in China (HRIC), and he also worked as the Southeast Asia representative for the Sweden-based Civil Rights Defenders and the France-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

Shiwei has a Masters of International Affairs, focusing on human rights, from Columbia University and a BA in International Relations, focusing on peace and security, from the University of California Davis.

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