US embassy cable - 04HANOI1727

UNCLAS HANOI 001727 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR DRL/IRF AND EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KIRF, PREL, VM, RELFREE, HUMANR 
SUBJECT:  FURTHER REDUCTION IN FATHER LY'S SENTENCE 
 
REF:   A. HANOI 1699  B.  03 HANOI 1821   C.  01 HANOI 2789 
 
1.  (U)  The Foreign Ministry on July 17 confirmed media 
reports that the Nam Ha Provincial Court had further reduced 
by five years the sentence of Father Thadaeus Nguyen Van Ly 
in tribute to his satisfactory compliance with the 
regulations of the Nam Ha prison.  Father Ly had originally 
been sentenced on October 19, 2001 to a thirteen year 
sentence for "undermining national unity" and an additional 
two year sentence for violating provisions of an earlier 
administrative detention order (ref c).  The Nam Ha court 
had first reduced his sentences by five years on July 16, 
2003 (ref b) in recognition of "good behavior."  The MFA 
source also confirmed that Father Ly would remain subject to 
a five-year administrative detention order following his 
release, now scheduled for 2006. 
 
2.  (SBU) The Government Committee on Religious Affairs 
declined to confirm to Embassy the sentence reduction or 
provide a comment.  However, one staffer privately admitted 
having recently participated in an inter-agency session to 
discuss the possibility of the sentence reduction. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Comment:  Our Foreign Ministry contact implied 
clearly that this decision, like that to release prisoner of 
concern Le Chi Quang two years ahead of his original 
sentence (ref a), had been intended to create a good 
atmosphere for DRL A/S Craner's planned June 18 visit to 
Hanoi, now postponed until later in the year.  Our contact 
indicated, however, that there would be no additional bits 
of good news, noting "aren't these two decisions enough?" 
PORTER