US embassy cable - 01HANOI313

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 HANOI 000313 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL, PRM, INR 
NSC FOR EAST ASIAN DIRECTORATE 
SECDEF FOR ISA/EAP STERN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/9/2011 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, SOCI, PINR, VM, RELFREE, HUMANR, ETMIN 
SUBJECT: LARGE-SCALE PROTESTS END IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, 20 DEMONSTRATORS ARRESTED 
 
 
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REF: A) HANOI 247 AND PREVIOUS 
B) 00 HO CHI MINH CITY 1110 
C) 00 HO CHI MINH CITY 563 AND PREVIOUS 
 
1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY ACTING DCM ROBERT DRY; 
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
2. (C) SUMMARY:  REPORTS FROM THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 
PROVINCES OF GIA LAI AND DAKLAK SUGGEST LARGE-SCALE 
DEMONSTRATIONS HAVE ENDED FOLLOWING THE ARRESTS OF AT LEAST 
20 PROTESTERS.  THOUSANDS OF VIETNAM'S ETHNIC MINORITIES 
PROTESTED THIS PAST WEEK IN FRONT OF GOVERNMENT AND 
COMMUNIST PARTY BUILDINGS IN PROVINCIAL CAPITALS. 
INJURIES, BUT NO DEATHS, HAVE BEEN REPORTED AS SECURITY 
FORCES HAVE ACTED TO STEM THE ARREST.  THE MFA DESCRIBED 
THOSE ARRESTED AS "PROVOCATIVE PEOPLE" WHO DESTROYED 
PROPERTY AND CAUSED INSTABILITY, BUT THE ROOTS OF THE 
PROTESTS ARE VARIED.  THE PROTESTS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN 
TRIGGERED MOST DIRECTLY BY THE ARREST JANUARY 29 OF TWO 
ETHNIC MINORITY MEN WHO APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN LEADERS IN 
PROTESTANT HOUSE CHURCHES IN THE REGION.  THE TWO MEN WERE 
PROMPTLY RELEASED AFTER SIGNING A STATEMENT BEFORE 
GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES.  HOWEVER, TENSION HAS BEEN BUILDING 
FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS: SMOLDERING RESENTMENT BY 
MINORITIES OVER LARGE-SCALE ETHNIC VIETNAMESE MIGRATION 
INTO THE AREA; SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF THEIR TRADITIONAL LAND TO 
THE MIGRANTS; AND THE EXTREME IMPOVERISHMENT OF MINORITIES, 
WHICH HAS BEEN EXACERBATED BY THE DROP OF COFFEE PRICES TO 
A THIRD OF THEIR PREVIOUS VALUE. 
 
3. (C) SUMMARY (CONT'D): THE DEMONSTRATIONS ARE THE LARGEST 
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IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS IN MEMORY AND COME AT A TIME WHEN 
FARMERS IN OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY ARE VOICING 
GRIEVANCES RELATED TO LAND ISSUES.  IT IS UNLIKELY THE 
UNREST OCCURRING IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS WILL FAN OUT TO 
OTHER PROVINCES, HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE ISSUES SPURRING THE 
DEMONSTRATORS ARE UNIQUE TO THIS REGION.  THE 
DEMONSTRATIONS COME AT A SENSITIVE TIME FOR VIETNAMESE 
OFFICIALDOM, WEEKS BEFORE THE NINTH COMMUNIST PARTY 
CONGRESS, WHEN JOCKEYING OVER LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AND THE 
PARTY PLATFORM IS AT A FEVER PITCH.  END SUMMARY. 
 
LARGE-SCALE DEMONSTRATIONS APPEAR TO HAVE ENDED 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
4. (U) THE DEMONSTRATIONS BEGAN IN PLEIKU, CAPITAL OF GIA 
LAI PROVINCE, ON FEBRUARY 2.  RESIDENTS OF THE TOWN TOLD 
FOREIGN JOURNALISTS THAT THREE TO FOUR THOUSAND PEOPLE, ALL 
MEMBERS OF INDIGENOUS MINORITY GROUPS, MARCHED IN WELL- 
ORGANIZED GROUPS ALONG ROADS LEADING INTO PLEIKU.  "THE 
MOOD OF THE DEMONSTRATION WAS STRIKINGLY PEACEFUL," 
ACCORDING TO A BUSINESSMAN WHO WITNESSED THE EVENT.  ON THE 
FOLLOWING DAY, AND FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS, OCCASIONAL 
VIOLENCE MARRED THE DEMONSTRATIONS, AND SEVERAL POLICEMEN 
AND PROTESTORS WERE INJURED IN CLASHES, ACCORDING TO PRESS 
ACCOUNTS. 
 
5. (U) ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY THE STATE-RUN VIETNAM NEW 
AGENCY, THE DEMONSTRATIONS WERE PROVOKED BY "BAD ELEMENTS" 
AND "EXTREMISTS" WHO WHIPPED UP POPULAR MISUNDERSTANDING 
OVER THE ARREST OF TWO ETHNIC MINORITY MEN ON JANUARY 29. 
THE VNA REPORT SAID THE PROTESTS BEGAN IN PLEIKU WHEN LARGE 
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NUMBERS OF PEOPLE GATHERED TO DEMAND THE RELEASE OF THE TWO 
MEN.  VNA SAID THE TWO WERE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER 
"SIGNING A PROTOCOL CONFIRMING THEIR ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR AND 
ASKING FOR LENIENCY." 
 
6. (U) ON FEBRUARY 6, THE DEMONSTRATIONS MOVED SOUTHWARD TO 
NEIGHBORING DAKLAK PROVINCE AND ITS CAPITAL CITY BUON ME 
THUOT, ACCORDING TO PRESS ACCOUNTS.  UP TO TWO THOUSAND 
PROTESTORS TOOK PART IN THESE DEMONSTRATIONS, WHICH TOOK ON 
A MORE VIOLENT CHARACTER.  PROTEST