US embassy cable - 01HOCHIMINHCITY1183

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 001183 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD/MSPEER 
DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR DRL 
CINCPAC FOR FPA 
SECDEF FOR ISA/EA/ABLAGG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PTER, VM, HUMANR, CTERR 
SUBJECT: FORMER SAIGON COMMUNIST PARTY CHIEF REFLECTS ON FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM AND VIETNAM HUMAN RIGHTS ACT 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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1. SUMMARY: IN A MEETING WITH EAP/BCLTV DIRECTOR JUDITH 
STROTZ, FORMER SAIGON COMMUNIST PARTY SECRETARY TRAN 
BACH DANG EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR THE U.S. FIGHT AGAINST 
TERRORISM.  HE ALSO EXPRESSED HIS EXTREME DISAPPROVAL 
OF THE VIETNAM HUMAN RIGHTS ACT (PENDING BEFORE THE 
SENATE) BECAUSE, HE SAID, IT SINGLES OUT VIETNAM 
UNFAIRLY FROM AMONG OTHER COUNTRIES.  THE CONVERSATION 
WITH DANG, A SENIOR VIETNAMESE STATESMAN, REFLECTED THE 
COMPLEXITIES AND LINGERING AMBIVALENCE IN THE U.S.- 
VIETNAM RELATIONSHIP.  END SUMMARY. 
 
ADVICE FROM THE COMMANDER OF THE SAIGON TET OFFENSIVE 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
2. MEETING WITH EAP/BCLTV DIRECTOR STROTZ ON OCTOBER 8 
AT HIS RESIDENCE, DANG SAID HE WAS "SHOCKED" AT THE 
ATTACK ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.  HE SAID THE KILLING 
OF CIVILIANS WAS SIMPLY "UNACCEPTABLE."  THE 75-YEAR- 
OLD DANG, WHO WAS COMMUNIST PARTY SECRETARY FROM 1965- 
73, TOLD STROTZ THAT IN 1968, HE WAS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF 
OF THE TET OFFENSIVE IN SAIGON AND CHOLON. "WE ATTACKED 
THE U.S. EMBASSY IN SAIGON, BUT WE NEVER CONSIDERED 
THAT TO BE A TERRORIST ACT."  DANG SAID HE SUPPORTED 
THE U.S. FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM AND ALSO WOULD SUPPORT 
THE OVERTHROW OF THE TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN. 
 
3. DANG RECALLED THAT WHEN THE VIET MINH WAS 
CONSOLIDATING ITS POWER IN THE 1950'S, IT FOUGHT 
SEVERAL BATTLES AGAINST THE HOA HAO BUDDHIST MILITIA IN 
SOUTHERN VIETNAM.  "WE HAD GUNS," HE SAID.  "THE HOA 
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HAO HAD ONLY KNIVES AND STICKS."  AFTER KILLING THE 
FIRST WAVES OF HOA HAO FORCES, HE SAID, THE VIET MINH 
REGROUPED, NOT BECAUSE OF LOSSES, BUT BECAUSE "WE FELT 
WE COULDN'T KILL PEOPLE THAT WAY."  DANG SUGGESTED THAT 
IF U.S. GROUND FORCES LANDED IN AFGHANISTAN, THEY COULD 
FACE A SIMILAR COMPLEX SITUATION.  HE SAID THE U.S. 
SHOULD RELY ON THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE OR ANOTHER AFGHAN 
GROUP TO OVERTHROW THE TALIBAN.  IN A STATEMENT THAT 
SEEMED IRONIC COMING FROM THE VIET CONG VETERAN, DANG 
ECHOED VIETNAM, THE OLD COMMUNIST PARTY CHIEF SAID THAT 
WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE AFGHAN PEOPLE, IT WOULD BE 
DIFFICULT FOR THE U.S. TO PREVAIL. 
 
4. NOTING THAT HE WAS MADE AN HONORARY CITIZEN OF 
LUBBOCK, TEXAS AND AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE U.S. 
ROTARY CLUB DURING HIS FIRST VISIT TO THE U.S. IN 1999, 
DANGHE SAID HE HAS MANY AMERICAN FRIENDS.  HE SAID HE 
REGRETTED THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF U.S. LIVES AND ADVISED 
THAT MILITARY ACTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN BE SWIFT BECAUSE 
U.S. SOLDIERS WOULD HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME IN THE AFGHAN 
WINTER.  DANG SAID HE OPPOSES TERRORISM IN ANY FORM, 
INCLUDING ACTS OF TERRORISM BY PALESTINIAN GROUPS OR 
PERSONS.  HE NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT HE BELIEVED U.S. 
POLICIES TOWARD ISRAEL VIS--VIS THE PALESTINIANS WERE 
"DANGEROUS."  HE SAID HE THOUGHT THE U.S. SHOULD USE 
ITS POWER TO "RESTRAIN ISRAEL." 
 
5. EAP/BCLTV DIRECTOR STROTZ THANKED DANG FOR HIS 
INSIGHTS AND SUPPORT.  SHE ADDED THAT THE U.S. DOES NOT 
WISH TO SEE AFGHAN CIVILIANS KILLED OR INJURED AND THAT 
THE U.S. HAS LAUNCHED A LARGE HUMANITARIAN EFFORT TO 
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PAGE 04        HO CHI  01183  01 OF 02  170847Z 
ASSIST THE AFGHAN PEOPLE.  SHE SAID THE U.S. WAS 
LEADING DIPLOMATIC AND FINANCIAL EFFORTS, NOT JUST 
MILITARY EFFORTS, TO FIGHT TERRORISM. 
 
"SHUT THE VIETNAM HUMAN RIGHTS ACT UP IN A DRAWER" 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
6. EAP/BCLTV DIRECTOR STROTZ ASKED DANG TO EXPLAIN THE 
STRONG REACTION IN VIETNAM AGAINST THE VIETNAM HUMAN 
RIGHTS ACT (VNHRA) CURRENTLY PENDING BEFORE THE SENATE. 
IN AN OFTEN EMOTIONAL VOICE,  THAT AT TIMES SHOWED 
EMOTION, DANG SAID THE ACT WENT AGAINST INTERNATIONAL 
NORMS AND BEHAVIOR.  "BY ITS VERY NAME, IT SINGLES OUT 
VIETNAM," HE SAID.  HE ADMITTED VIETNAM WAS "NOT 
PERFECT" IN TERMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS, BUT NOTED THAT ITS 
HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD WAS NOT POOR IN COMPARISON TO OTHER 
COUNTRIES SUCH AS AFGHANISTAN. 
 
7. ACCORDING TO DANG, VIETNAM FOUGHT UNTIL 1975 TO 
OBTAIN THE MOST BASIC OF HUMAN RIGHTS - INDEPENDENCE. 
HE SAID ANOTHER BASIC HUMAN RIGHT WAS HAVING ENOUGH TO 
EAT.  IN 1944-45, TWO MILLION VIETNAMESE DIED OF 
STARVATION UNDER JAPANESE OCCUPATION.  IN COMPARISON, 
HE SAID, TODAY'S HUMAN RIGHTS PROBLEMS ARE LAUGHABLE. 
VIETNAM'S LEADERS ARE ATTEMPTING TO IMPROVE ITS 
CITIZENS' HUMAN RIGHTS, DANG SAID, BUT IMPROVEMENTS 
CANNOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. 
 
8. EAP/BCLTV DIRECTOR STROTZ DETAILED SOME OF THE 
BACKGROUND OF THE VNHRA.  SHE EXPLAINED THAT SOME 
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WANTED TO BALANCE THEIR PASSAGE OF 
THE BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT WITH AN EXPRESSION OF 
THEIR CONCERN ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIETNAM.  SHE ALSO 
NOTED THAT THE ACT CONTAINED A PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER TO 
SOME OF ITS MAIN PROVISIONS. 
 
9. DANG WAS NOT IMPRESSED.  HE SAID VIETNAM'S IS "NOT A 
BARBARIC GOVERNMENT," AGAIN POINTING TO THE TALEBAN, 
BUT THE VNHRA ESTABLISHES THE UNITED STATES AS 
VIETNAM'S JUDGE IN ITS OWN INTERNAL AFFAIRS.  HE NOTED 
THAT IN THE PAST, POL POT CAUSED "TERRIBLE 
DESTRUCTION," BUT THE U.S. PROTESTED KHMER ROUGE 
ACTIVITIES BELATEDLY.  "BUT WE SHOULD PUT THE PAST 
BEHIND US," HE SAID.  "I SUGGEST THE VNHRA BE SHUT UP 
IN A DRAWER.  INSTEAD, WE SHOULD GIVE EACH OTHER ADVICE 
AS FRIENDS."  HE ADDED THAT VIETNAM WAS WILLING TO 
CONTINUE ITS DISCUSSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AS PART OF THE 
NORMAL DIPLOMATIC PROCESS. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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10. AS A FORMER COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER AND CURRENT 
ADVISOR TO THE GOVERNMENT, DANG'S OPINIONS - GENUINE 
SYMPATHY AND SUPPORT FOR THE U.S. FIGHT AGAINST 
TERRORISM CHECKED BY INDIGNATION TOWARDS THE VNHRA - 
LIKELY REFLECT THOSE OF MANY OTHER OLDER GENERATION 
VIETNAMESE LEADERS. 
 
11.  BCLTV DIRECTOR STROTZ DID NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY 
TO CLEAR THIS CABLE BEFORE DEPARTURE. 
 
YAMAUCHI 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED