US embassy cable - 05HOCHIMINHCITY525

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HO CHI MINH CITY 000525 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, PREL, PGOV, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT: MENNONITE TORTURE CLAIMS DO NOT APPEAR CREDIBLE 
 
REF:  A) HCMC 106; B) HCMC 189; C) HCMC 493 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  Following her amnesty in late April, we met on 
May 10 with Mennonite activist Le Thi Hong Lien and her father 
(both strictly protect) to investigate claims that torture in 
prison led to her mental collapse.  Our lengthy interviews of Lien 
and her father and follow-up discussions with the doctors who 
treated her lead us to question seriously these claims.  There are 
many inconsistencies in Lien's and her father's depiction of her 
treatment in prison.  There also are troubling indications that 
Lien's father, perhaps on the instructions of the local Mennonite 
church, was "doctor shopping" to find someone who would confirm 
allegations of abuse; none have thus far.  Our follow up appears 
to confirm our original judgment (ref A) that this is not a case 
of organized, willful abuse, but a very tragic situation involving 
an emotionally fragile and vulnerable young person.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) On May 10 we met with Le Quang Du father of "Mennonite 6" 
prisoner Le Thi Hong Lien, and later with Ms. Lien herself at 
their very modest home in HCMC's District 2 (both strictly 
protect).  We went to check on her status following her late April 
amnesty and release from the criminal ward of the Bien Hoa mental 
hospital.  Per ref B, Lien was transferred in mid-February from 
HCMC's Chi Hoa prison to the hospital following an extended stay 
in the prison infirmary.  Press releases circulated on the 
internet by California-based "Compass Direct" and other websites 
report that: "the current physical and mental health of Le has 
completely broken down due to the severe torture and abuse in the 
prison.  Le was reported to have difficulty using her jaw, which 
was broken by beatings and left untreated."  According to the 
Internet reports, Lien's parents said that she had "lost her mind" 
because of abuse.  One web site claimed that Lien "has survived 
after enduring terrible torture in the prison such as drug 
injections, frequent and severe beatings, electric shock, food 
deprivation and verbal abuse." 
 
3. (SBU) Du told us that Lien's personality and health had changed 
after her 10 months imprisonment.  Before her arrest, she had been 
an outgoing 19-year old Sunday school and summer camp teacher for 
small children; now she is withdrawn and sullen.  Du claimed that 
Lien was in this state because of physical abuse in prison that 
culminated in a "nerve problem" that left her jaw "out of 
alignment."  As a result Lien was in constant pain and unable to 
eat properly.  Du said that he first noticed Lien's jaw problem 
when he visited her in the Chi Hoa prison infirmary in early 
December 2004, about three weeks after her trial.  Du was evasive 
as to whether or not Lien suffered any weight loss while in 
prison.  When we asked him why he did not mention Lien's jaw issue 
in our initial meeting on January 26 (ref A), Du replied, "you 
didn't ask."  (Note:  we did ask -- repeatedly -- about any abuses 
or problems that Lien might have had.  During our January meeting, 
Du also said that his daughter did not have any problems eating. 
End Note.) 
 
4. (SBU) Du told us that after Lien's release, he took her to 
three different private doctors for seven medical exams.  CT 
scans, X-rays, urine, blood and thyroid tests were performed in 
addition to physicals.  The local Mennonite Church of imprisoned 
Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang paid for the tests.  Du also showed us a 
bagful of medicine that he said the doctors had prescribed for 
Lien, including two muscle relaxants (Diantalvic and Tolperisone) 
and Xanax, an anti anxiety drug.  Du told us that he did not 
understand the results of the exams and would not discuss the 
medical reports further.  Neither Chi Hoa prison, nor the mental 
hospital in Dong Nai province where she was sent in February 
provided the family with medical records.  We told Du that we 
wished to contact the doctors to discuss Lien's condition.  Du 
said he would support our follow up. 
 
5. (SBU) Du said that Lien continues to attend services at Pastor 
Quang's house church.  Lien has been among those 15 to 20 
parishioners whom local police have detained for three to four 
hours over the past few Sundays.  District police stop the service 
and charge the group with holding an illegal gathering.  Despite 
her experience in prison, Lien does not show any fear or hysteria 
while in police custody, according to her father.  (Comment: this 
is the only case of police intervention to block house church 
services in HCMC in the past few months.  It appears to stem from 
the bitter relationship between the Mennonite church and local 
district authorities.  We have registered our concern over 
continued harassment of the Mennonite church both with the HCMC 
External Relations Office and the HCMC Committee for Religious 
Affairs (CRA).  The CRA said it would try and work with local 
authorities to find a way to ease tensions in coming weeks.  End 
Comment.) 
 
6. (SBU) After meeting with Du for an hour, we were introduced to 
Lien.  She was lethargic and had some difficulty talking.  Her 
father was with her at all times and, on occasion, appeared to try 
to prompt her answers.  Lien said that she was not beaten before 
her trial, although she suffered from periodic "psychological" 
abuse and was denied food and clothes that her parents brought 
her.  She could not remember her trial.  She told Poloffs that she 
was not sexually abused either in prison or in the mental 
hospital.  However, she privately told Pol/Econ FSN specialist 
that she believed that there was one incident when male prison 
guards leered at her when she was naked and restrained on her bed 
in the prison infirmary. 
 
7. (SBU) Lien recounted one episode -- she was not clear as to 
whether this was in her cell or in the prison infirmary -- when 
she lost consciousness.  After that incident, she was always 
handcuffed by one hand to her bed.  Lien said that she was only 
released once a day -- at 7 in the morning.  As a result, she had 
to urinate and defecate in her bed. 
 
8. (SBU) Lien claimed that during her two months in the prison 
infirmary she was physically abused regularly.  Between three and 
10 men would come into the infirmary and beat her "all over her 
body" on an almost daily basis with police batons or broomsticks. 
No one would treat her for the injuries she sustained and there 
was blood "everywhere."   She experienced no abuse in the mental 
hospital.  (Note: per ref A, in our interview with Du on January 
26, he told us that he saw no evidence of physical abuse.  Prison 
guards and another inmate in the infirmary said that Lien had 
become violent and "lost her mind."  We understand that 
restraining patients who might even pose a slight threat to 
hospital staff is common practice in Vietnam.  End Note.) 
 
9. (SBU) We asked Lien what the reaction of the doctors in the 
mental hospital was to her injuries and bruises when she was 
admitted.  She then retracted her claim that the beatings had 
opened wounds.  She added that hospital staff saw no bruising 
because all her injuries had "healed quickly."  Lien said that she 
could not pinpoint when her jaw was injured, but it had been 
hurting for "a long time." 
 
Follow up with Lien's Doctors 
----------------------------- 
 
10. (SBU) On May 11 and 12 we spoke with a general practitioner at 
Columbia Asia hospital (protect), one of HCMC's leading and most 
reputable private clinics.  Before speaking to us, the doctor 
sought to obtain permission from Lien's father to discuss the case 
with us.  Much to our surprise, the doctor told us that Du had 
denied permission.  We recontacted Lien's father, who initially 
told us "he wanted to get the results himself," but then agreed to 
allow the doctor to work with us.  The doctor told us that she 
conducted a complete physical work up of Lien, including a blood 
chemistry, and CT scan.  Lien's brain function, thyroid and other 
hormone levels appeared normal, although Lien's speech and 
comprehension were slower than the general norm. 
 
11. (SBU) We told the doctor that when we visited Lien, we met 
Lien's younger brother who had severe mental and physical problems 
from birth.  The doctor was surprised, particularly because she 
had asked Du if Lien had a preexisting condition or if there was 
any other family medical or mental history that would be helpful 
in understanding Lien's case.  Du said there wasn't. 
 
12. (SBU) The doctor told us that Lien's father specifically told 
her that he was looking for evidence that beating or abuse in 
prison led to her jaw problems.  The doctor concluded that with 
the exception of Lien's inability to open her jaw wide, the 
results of the exams showed nothing abnormal, nor was there any 
evidence of physical abuse.  Of the drugs that Lien is taking, she 
had prescribed Xanax and medicine for Lien's skin problems.  The 
doctor opined that the combination of the Xanax and the two other 
muscle relaxant medicines that Lien is taking could contribute to 
or cause Lien's lethargy.  The doctor recommended to Du that Lien 
consult a psychiatrist for further evaluation.   When we asked 
Lien's father about a psychiatric follow up, he told us that it 
was up to the church to decide what additional medical or 
psychological follow up Lien would receive. 
 
13. (SBU) On May 12 we spoke with a facial specialist who 
evaluated Lien's jaw.  The doctor told us that Lien's father also 
sought confirmation that the problem was caused by impact from a 
"hard object."   The doctor told us that the jaw joint suffered 
from excessive mobility, but could not confirm the cause.  An x- 
ray of the jaw indicated that the jaw was not broken.  The doctor 
said that the problem could be stress induced, although he could 
not rule out that it was caused by abuse.  Du did not tell the 
specialist that he had another child with serious birth defects. 
 
14. (SBU) On May 13, we spoke with Lien's attending physician in 
the Bien Hoa mental hospital (strictly protect).  The doctor said 
that Lien suffered from "adjustment disorder" to the stress of a 
prison environment.  She was given Xanax to ease stress but 
received no other treatment in the mental hospital.  The doctor 
saw no evidence of physical abuse.  He thought that Lien's jaw 
problem could be congenital. 
 
Comment 
------- 
15. (SBU) Based on our interview with Lien and discussions with 
three doctors we can say with some confidence that she suffered a 
mental collapse in prison.  We likely will never learn exactly 
why.  The shock of prison alone may have been enough; Lien may 
have been unusually susceptible. 
 
16. (SBU) Available information does not support claims of 
sustained physical abuse or denial of appropriate medical 
treatment.  There are significant inconsistencies in Lien's and 
her father's depiction of events, particularly how and when Lien 
was allegedly beaten.  We also are troubled by indications that 
Lien's father appeared to be shopping around HCMC for a doctor who 
would be prepared to confirm his assertion that she was physically 
abused.   We will continue to press the GVN to defuse tensions 
with the Mennonite Church of Pastor Quang.   However, once again 
it seems that Pastor Quang's followers have distorted the truth in 
order to draw foreign attention. 
 
WINNICK