US embassy cable - 04HANOI2398

UNCLAS HANOI 002398 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL, AND CA/OCS/ACS/EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, KIRF, CASC, VM, HUMANR, ETMIN 
SUBJECT: PRISONER AMNESTY DISAPPOINTING 
 
Reftels (A) 8/14/04 Sim-Boardman E-mail (B) Hanoi 2208 
 
1. (U) This is a retransmission and update of Hanoi 2397. 
First transmission duplicated and reinserted deleted text 
due to track-changes function of Microsoft Word. 
 
2. (U) No U.S. citizens and no high-profile political 
prisoners were among the 8623 individuals receiving 
amnesties to mark Vietnam's National Day on September 2.  In 
an August 30 press conference to announce the amnesty, Vice 
Foreign Minister Le Van Bang stated that "considerable 
consideration" had been given to those cases highlighted by 
foreign governments during bilateral discussions and human 
rights dialogues, and that ten individuals raised on these 
occasions would be included in the amnesty.  That said, all 
ten of these had, in fact, already been released, one as 
long as four years ago. 
 
3. (U) Subsequent to the press conference, the GVN provided 
to diplomats and the press the names of these ten 
individuals (list follows in Para 6).  The USG had in the 
past raised these cases on various occasions, and we were 
already aware that nine of them were no longer incarcerated. 
 
4. (U) Six of the ten are ethnic minorities from Phu Yen 
province identified as having been released between March 
and June 2004.  During discussions with Ambassador Hanford 
in Washington in December 2003, however, VFM Bang had 
identified four of these six as having already been 
released. 
 
5. (SBU) Comment:  Considering that Vietnam's Ambassador to 
the U.S. had brought this amnesty to the attention of former 
EAP DAS Daley (Ref A), we are disappointed that the GVN 
delivered such an underwhelming result.  Furthermore, as all 
ten of the individuals raised by the international community 
had already been released, it is hard to find much to be 
positive about.  End Comment. 
 
6. (U) List of ten amnesty recipients whose cases were 
raised by foreign governments: 
 
-- Ho Van Trong.  Trong's release in June had been 
highlighted in Australia's Human Rights Dialogue (Ref B). 
 
-- Nguyen Ha Hai.  Hai is the only individual receiving an 
amnesty about which the USG was not previously aware.  He is 
reportedly the third ranking officer in the unrecognized Hoa 
Hao Central Buddhist Church, Nguyen Ha Hai.  He was released 
from prison on May 31, but died on June 14. 
 
-- Nguyen Ngoc Tan.  Released April 4, 2000.  Deceased. 
 
-- Ho Vu Khang.  Released January 19, 2002. 
       . 
-- L Mo Y Bhit.  Ethnic Minority from Phu Yen province. 
Released March 19, 2004. 
 
-- Ksor Y Hoi.  Ethnic Minority from Phu Yen province. 
Released June 2, 2004. 
 
-- Ksor Y Lac.  Ethnic Minority from Phu Yen province. 
Released March 19, 2004. 
 
-- Y Blong Mlo.  Ethnic Minority from Phu Yen province. 
Released June 2, 2004. 
 
-- Y Du Ksor (Ama Hblit).  Ethnic Minority from Phu Yen 
province.  Released June 2, 2004. 
 
-- Nay Y Bluk (Ama Hlit).  Ethnic Minority from Phu Yen 
province.  Released May 15, 2004. 
BURGHARDT