US embassy cable - 01HANOI2210

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002210 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2011 
TAGS: PHUM, PINS, PGOV, VM, DPOL, HUMANR 
SUBJECT: CONTINUED PRESSURE ON REFORM ACTIVISTS 
 
REF: HANOI 02197 
 
1.  (U) CLASSIFIED BY A/DCM DAVID MONK, REASON 1.5 (D) 
 
2. (C) SUMMARY.  NO ADDITIONAL NEWS IS AVAILABLE ABOUT 
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THE STATUS OF REFORM ACTIVISTS HOANG MINH CHINH AND 
PHAM QUE DUONG (REFTEL) EXCEPT THAT THEY ARE BELIEVED 
TO HAVE REPORTED AS REQUESTED TO THE HANOI POLICE 
STATION ON SEPTEMBER 6.  POLICE APPARENTLY 
"INTERVIEWED" AT LEAST 19 ACTIVISTS ON SEPTEMBER 5 IN 
HANOI;  TWO FROM HO CHI MINH CITY APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN 
SENT BACK THERE THE SAME EVENING.  AUTHORITIES SEEM TO 
HAVE RETALIATED BY CUTTING OFF THE PHONE SERVICE OF AT 
LEAST SOME OF THESE ACTIVISTS, WHO HAVE CLAIMED 
PRIVATELY THESE MOVES MAY REPRESENT A SERIOUS 
ESCALATION OF PRESSURE AGAINST THEM.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) REFORM ACTIVIST NGUYEN THANH GIANG TOLD POLOFF 
ON SEPTEMBER 7 THAT HE STILL DID NOT KNOW THE CURRENT 
SITUATION OF FELLOW ACTIVISTS HOANG MINH CHINH AND PHAM 
QUE DUONG (REFTEL).  GIANG SAID THAT HE AND HIS 
ASSOCIATES "DID NOT DARE" ANY MORE TO GO TO CHINH'S AND 
DUONG'S HOMES TO CHECK ON THEIR WELFARE, NOR COULD THEY 
CONTACT NOW THEM BY TELEPHONE.  GIANG SAID THAT HE HAD 
MET CHINH'S WIFE AT A FUNERAL ON THE AFTERNOON OF 
SEPTEMBER 6, DURING WHICH SHE CONFIRMED THAT CHINH HAD 
RETURNED TO THE POLICE STATION THAT DAY FOR FURTHER 
"INTERVIEWS" BUT THAT CHINH WAS CONTINUING THE HUNGER 
STRIKE HE HAD BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 5.  GIANG ADDED THAT 
HE BELIEVED DUONG HAD ALSO RETURNED TO THE POLICE 
STATION ON SEPTEMBER 6. 
 
3.  (C) ACCORDING TO GIANG, POLICE IN HANOI 
"INTERVIEWED" A TOTAL OF 19 REFORM ACTIVISTS (INCLUDING 
HIMSELF) AT VARIOUS POLICE STATIONS ON SEPTEMBER 5.  HE 
RECOUNTED HOW POLICE HAD VISITED SEVEN ACTIVISTS AT 
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THEIR HOMES AND "INVITED" THEM (WITH APPROPRIATE LEGAL 
"INVITATION PAPERS") TO GO TO THE POLICE STATIONS "TO 
WORK WITH THEM."  TEN OTHER ACTIVISTS WERE SIMILARLY 
"INVITED" TO GO TO POLICE STATIONS AFTER HAVING VISITED 
THE HOME OF EITHER CHINH OR DUONG ON SEPTEMBER 5. 
GIANG MAINTAINED THAT THE "INTERVIEWS" WERE PRIMARILY 
RELATED TO A REQUEST SENT BY REGISTERED MAIL TO THE 
GOVERNMENT ON SEPTEMBER 3 TO ESTABLISH AN ANTI- 
CORRUPTION NGO (REFTEL).  HE ADDED THAT NOT ALL OF THE 
19 HAD EVEN KNOWN ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE, ALTHOUGH ALL 
HAD AT SOME POINT BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH GIANG IN 
PROMOTING "DEMOCRATIC REFORM."  THEY INCLUDE: HIMSELF, 
CHINH, DUONG, TRAN KHUE (WITH DUONG, CO-AUTHOR OF THE 
REQUEST), NGUYEN THI THANH XUAN, HOANG TIEN, NGUYEN DAU 
KINH, TRAN DUNG TIEN, TRAN BA, LE CHE QUANG, DAU QUY 
HA, DUOI HUY, NGUYEN THU, VU BINH, NGUYEN DOAI, DAO 
QUONG TIEN, V. THINH, TRAN DAI SON, AND DUOI SON. 
 
4.  (C)  GIANG SAID THAT CO-AUTHOR KHUE AND XUAN (WHOM 
GIANG DESCRIBED AS KHUE'S FRIEND AND A DEMOCRATIC 
REFORM SUPPORTER, BUT NOT INVOLVED WITH THE PROPOSAL) 
WERE SENT BACK TO HO CHI MINH CITY, WHERE THEY RESIDE, 
ON THE NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER 5.  THEY HAD BEEN IN HANOI 
FOR THE PAST MONTH WHILE KHUE WORKED ON THE REQUEST. 
GIANG SAID THAT HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO 
THESE TWO SINCE THEY LEFT HANOI. 
 
5. (C)  GIANG TOLD POLOFF THAT HE, ALL OF HIS FELLOW 
ACTIVISTS, AND THE OWNER OF THE HOME WHERE KHUE HAD 
STAYED, HAD THEIR HOME TELEPHONE SERVICE CUT.  HIS OWN 
CELL PHONE SERVICE HAS ALSO BEEN CUT, AS POLOFF 
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DISCOVERED ON SEPTEMBER 6.  GIANG SAID THAT WHEN HE 
REALIZED THAT HIS CELL PHONE WAS NOT WORKING, HE BOUGHT 
A NEW SIM CARD ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 7 TO 
REACTIVATE HIS PHONE WITH A NEW AND DIFFERENT NUMBER. 
HE CLAIMED THAT, WITHIN TWO HOURS, THE NEW NUMBER HAD 
AGAIN STOPPED WORKING.  GIANG MENTIONED THAT SOME OF 
HIS FELLOW ACTIVISTS ALSO HAVE CELL PHONES, BUT THAT HE 
DOES NOT YET KNOW IF THEIRS ARE STILL IN SERVICE. 
 
6. (C)  GIANG OPINED THAT THE "INTERVIEWS" AND 
TELEPHONE DISRUPTIONS ARE THE STRONGEST ACTION THE SRV 
HAS TAKEN AGAINST DEMOCRACY REFORMERS IN SOME TIME.  HE 
SAID THAT HE BELIEVES THAT THIS ACTION MAY BE A WARNING 
BY THE REMAINING "HARD-LINE" LEADERSHIP TO NONG DUC 
MANH AND OTHER NEW LEADERS.  ALTERNATIVELY, GIANG 
HYPOTHESIZED, SINCE HE AND HIS FELLOW ACTIVISTS PROPOSE 
SETTING UP AN ORGANIZATION TO FIGHT CORRUPTION, THOSE 
WITHIN THE LEADERSHIP OF WHATEVER POLITICAL TENDENCY 
WHO BENEFIT FROM CORRUPTION WOULD OPPOSE SUCH EFFORTS. 
EITHER WAY, GIANG GUESSED, "THE PEOPLE" WOULD BE QUITE 
UPSET IF THEY LEARNED ABOUT THE POLICE REACTION TO THIS 
PROPOSAL TO SET UP AN ANTI-CORRUPTION NGO, THUS MAKING 
IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE TO 
GOVERN. 
 
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7.  ( U )  ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, THE FOREIGN 
MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON ON SEPTEMBER 6 DENIED THAT ANY 
ARRESTS HAD TAKEN PLACE AGAINST INDIVIDUALS ATTEMPTING 
TO ESTABLISH AN ANTI-CORRUPTION NGO. 
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8.  ( C ) IN A SEPARATE MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 7 
(SEPTEL), THE CHAIRMAN OF THE VIETNAM LAWYERS' 
ASSOCIATION CONFIRMED TO POL/C AND POLOFF THAT, IN 
LEGAL PRINCIPLE, VIETNAMESE CITIZENS CLEARLY HAVE THE 
RIGHT TO SET UP AN ASSOCIATION TO FIGHT CORRUPTION OR 
UNDERTAKE OTHER ACTIVITIES NOT PROHIBITED BY LAW.  HE 
CLAIMED TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS NEW INITIATIVE OR 
POLICE REACTION. 
 
9. (C)  COMMENT.  GIANG'S DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERITY 
OF THIS ROUND OF ACTIONS MAY BE INFLUENCED BY HIS OWN 
INVOLVEMENT.  INASMUCH AS EMBASSY CAN DETERMINE, POLICE 
REACTION TO THIS INITIATIVE, WHILE UNHELPFUL, HAS NOT 
BEEN NOTABLY HEAVY-HANDED AND MAY NOT EVEN LEAD TO 
ACTUAL ARRESTS OR IMPRISONMENT -- AT LEAST, IN THE 
ABSENCE OF FURTHER PERCEIVED PROVOCATIONS.  END COMMENT 
PORTER 
 
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