US embassy cable - 04HOCHIMINHCITY406

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000406 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL, PRM, CA/OCS, S/ES-O 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PREL, SCUL, SOCI, KIRF, VM, ETMIN, HUMANR 
SUBJECT: MFA IN HCMC ASSURES CONGEN SITUATION IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 
NOW STABLE 
 
REF:  A) HCMC 0391  B) HANOI 1007  C) HCMC 0401 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  Mr. Le Hung Quoc, Senior Deputy Director of the 
Ho Chi Minh City External Relations Office (ERO), downplayed 
reports of widespread protests and high casualty numbers in the 
Central Highlands (refs A and B) during a meeting with Acting 
Consul General on April 13, assuring her that the situation was 
now \"stable.\"  A/CG utilized the meeting to underscore U.S. 
interest in the peaceful resolution of the current ethnic unrest 
in Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces, and to stress the importance of 
obtaining both access and accurate information.  ConGen and 
Embassy Poloffs were forced to postpone a planned trip to the 
Central Highlands on April 10, after violence reportedly broke out 
during demonstrations by ethnic minority persons (\"Montagnards\") 
in the two provinces.  The ConGen submitted a diplomatic note to 
ERO (the southern branch office of the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs) on April 12 to formalize verbal requests for ERO to 
facilitate a trip to the Central Highlands at the earliest 
opportunity.  Mr. Quoc told A/CG he hoped ConGenoffs would be able 
to travel to the region soon.  End summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Mr. Quoc told A/CG that the situation in the Central 
Highlands was now stable, and that foreign tourists were free to 
\"resume normal activities.\"  He said he had asked the provincial 
administrations in Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Kon Tum to once again 
prepare to receive a ConGen delegation as soon as possible.  He 
thought it likely that ConGenoffs would be able to travel there 
soon.  He also assured A/CG that the GVN was not trying to hide 
anything from the international community or the USG.  The issue 
for the GVN was to be sure that it was providing accurate 
information.  He rejected reports of demonstrations involving 
150,000 Montagnards as \"completely unrealistic,\" but commented 
that many people had been out on the streets to attend Easter 
services.  As far as he was aware, there had been no deaths or 
serious injuries; however, he asked for more time to sort out the 
details, given the difficulties in communicating with remote 
communes and districts over a wide area.  He insisted he was 
unable to provide any specific numbers for detentions, deaths, or 
injuries, saying only that some demonstrators had attacked police 
and been arrested.  He cautioned A/CG to ignore rampant 
misinformation, citing as examples rumors he had heard (and 
dismissed) that foreign aircraft would be airlifting Montagnards 
from the Central Highlands to a sanctuary overseas, or that 
foreign delegations would soon arrive in the region to spirit the 
protestors away.  In this context, he offered to try to provide 
information on specific claims regarding deaths or detentions 
purportedly resulting from the protests.  (Note:  While he seemed 
sincere, ERO has not always been successful in verifying 
information regarding sensitive cases in the past.  End Note.) 
 
3. (SBU) Mr. Quoc blamed \"extremist elements\" for using Easter as 
a pretext to \"create social unrest.\"  He also cited reports that 
the demonstrations may have been \"instigated from outside\" of 
Vietnam, tying in recent allegations by Cambodian officials that 
UNHCR was \"luring\" Montagnards across the border from Vietnam. 
Under the circumstances, he said, the government had an obligation 
to stop the demonstrations and preserve public order and 
stability.  He blamed general conditions of poverty for leaving 
the ethnic minorities susceptible to promises of a better life 
overseas, and said the first obligation of the GVN with regard to 
human rights was to improve access to education, health care, and 
economic opportunity. 
 
4. (SBU) Acting Consul General noted her disappointment that the 
GVN had postponed the joint ConGen/Embassy reporting trip to the 
Central Highlands planned for April 10-14 (ref C).  Expressing 
concern over unconfirmed reports of large-scale protests that had 
allegedly turned violent over the weekend, A/CG emphasized the 
importance of immediate and reliable information to avoid the 
spread of unsubstantiated rumors.  She also urged the GVN to grant 
immediate access to the region; to permit ConGenoffs to speak 
freely with officials and ordinary residents in the affected 
areas; and to assess the extent of the reported ethnic minority 
unrest firsthand.  Speaking more generally, A/CG noted the role 
that freedom of speech and assembly serve in democratic societies 
as outlets for disenfranchised elements of the population. 
Reiterating the USG\'s respect for the national sovereignty of 
Vietnam, she urged the GVN to limit their investigation and not 
turn this into a broader inquisition. 
 
5. (SBU) Comment:  ERO does not always have the latest information 
about the Central Highlands and ConGen is still trying to obtain 
better information about the protests.  Mr. Quoc\'s description of 
events, while quite general, seemed to be more in line with 
impressions provided by ConGen sources (reftels) than with the 
initial stream of reports suggesting that the protests were much 
more widespread and violent.  Many press reports today also seemed 
to have scaled back significantly on the numbers.  ERO has worked 
very hard to assist the ConGen in gaining access to the Central 
Highlands in the past, and Mr. Quoc didn\'t seem to harbor any 
grudges over the attempt by ConGen and Embassy Poloffs to continue 
with their previously scheduled trip last Saturday.  Even if we do 
get access, however, we would still expect it to be very difficult 
to sort things out on the ground. 
WHITE