US embassy cable - 02HANOI1795

UNCLAS HANOI 001795 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, SOCI, VM, DPOL 
SUBJECT:  CENTRAL COMMITTEE OUSTS TWO MEMBERS 
 
REF:  A. FBIS SEP20020716000011  B. HANOI 1780 AND PREVIOUS 
 
1.  (U)  SUMMARY:  AT THE CONCLUSION OF ITS SIXTH PLENUM ON 
JULY 15, THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM (CPV) CENTRAL 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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COMMITTEE (CC) ANNOUNCED THE DISMISSAL OF TWO OF ITS MEMBERS 
-- VICE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY LIEUTENANT GENERAL BUI 
QUOC HUY AND DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE VOICE OF VIETNAM TRAN 
MAI HANH -- FOR ALLEGED "LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY" OVER AND 
INVOLVEMENT IN THE NAM CAM ORGANIZED CRIME CASE.  THE CC 
ALSO RECOMMENDED TO THE GOVERNMENT THAT THE TWO BE FORMALLY 
DISMISSED FROM THEIR GOVERNMENT POSITIONS AS WELL.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U)  THE FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF 
THE JULY 4-15 SIXTH PLENUM DISCUSSED AT LENGTH THE REASON 
FOR THE DISMISSALS FROM THE CC OF GENERAL HUY AND DG HANH. 
IT NOTED THAT HUY, AS THEN-HO CHI MINH CITY POLICE CHIEF, 
"DID NOT FULFILL HIS TASKS" AND "WAS IRRESPONSIBLE IN 
LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND USE OF CADRES, THUS LETTING THEM 
BECOME CO-OFFENDERS IN THE TRUONG NAM CAM CASE."   HANH 
HELPED "TO RELEASE UNTRUE AND IRRESPONSIBLE INFORMATION," 
AND ALSO "VIOLATED THE PRESS LAW TO DEFEND TRUONV VAN CAM." 
BOTH HUY AND HANH WERE ALSO BLAMED WITH HAVING MAINTAINING 
RELATIONS WITH A NUMBER OF "BAD ELEMENTS" OVER A LONG TIME. 
 
3.   (U)  THE CC RECOMMENDED THAT THE GVN RELIEVE HUY OF HIS 
VICE MINISTERIAL POSITION AS WELL AS DEMOTE HIM FROM 
LIEUTENANT GENERAL TO MAJOR GENERAL.  IT SIMILARLY 
RECOMMENDED THAT THE GVN REMOVE HANH OFFICIALLY FROM HIS 
POST AS DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE VOICE OF VIETNAM AND THAT 
THE VIETNAM JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION DROP HIM AS VICE 
PRESIDENT AND GENERAL SECRETARY.  IN MAY, HANH HAD BEEN 
TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED FROM THOSE POSTS AS WELL AS FORCED TO 
RESIGN AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, FOLLOWING A 
POLITBURO RECOMMENDATION. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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4.   (U)  SOME PRESS REPORTS NOTED THAT HUY WAS ONE OF THE 
VERY FEW HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIALS TO BE DISMISSED FOR "LACK OF 
SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY," AND COMMENTED HOW COVERAGE OF HIS 
AND HANH'S CASES CONTRASTED WITH THE DISMISSAL OF THEN- 
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NGO XUON LOC OVER ALLEGED FRAUD IN THE 
CONSTRUCTION OF A HANOI WATER PARK IN THE LATE 1990S.  SOME 
MEDIA COMMENTARY CLAIMED THAT THE CPV WAS TRYING TO PORTRAY 
ITS HANDLING OF HANH, HUY, AND OTHERS IN THE NAM CAM CASE AS 
AN EXAMPLE OF ITS DETERMINATION TO COMBAT CORRUPTION AND 
OTHER KINDS OF SOCIAL EVILS THAT HAVE BEEN "JEOPARDIZING THE 
ETHICS" OF MANY CIVIL SERVANTS. 
 
5.  (U)  SPEAKING AT THE PLENUM, CPV GENERAL SECRETARY NONG 
DUC MANH ADMITTED THAT SOME SENIOR OFFICIALS HAD BEEN 
"BOUGHT," EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY SHOWN 
"REVOLUTIONARY FIRMNESS" AND HAD MADE "MANY CONTRIBUTIONS 
DURING WARTIME."  MANH STRESSED THAT CADRES "AT ALL 
ECHELONS" MUST FOLLOW PARTY STATUTES AND STATE LAWS. 
 
6. (U)  OFFICIAL MEDIA COVERAGE ALSO NOTED THAT THE PLENUM'S 
DISCUSSIONS ON PARTY DISCIPLINE HAD BEEN HELD IN A "HIGHLY 
DEMOCRATIC AND CANDID ATMOSPHERE." 
 
7.  (U)  COMMENT:  IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE PLENUM WAS 
PERHAPS LIVELIER THAN THE NORM AND THAT THE CPV DECIDED TO 
OFFER UP SOME SACRIFICIAL LAMBS IN ORDER TO TRY TO CONVINCE 
THE PUBLIC THAT THE CPV IS SERIOUS ABOUT COMBATING 
CORRUPTION WITHIN ITS SENIOR RANKS.  WHAT REMAINS UNCLEAR IS 
WHETHER THE HUNT FOR CULPRITS IN THE NAM CAM AND OTHER 
SENSITIVE CASES HAS CONCLUDED WITH THESE DISMISSALS OR 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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WHETHER OTHER HIGH-LEVEL VICTIMS WILL FOLLOW.  IT REMAINS 
UNLIKELY, HOWEVER, THAT THE CPV WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERTAKE A 
CREDIBLE AND THOROUGH INVESTIGATION OF THIS CASE TO THE 
SATISFACTION OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. 
BURGHARDT 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED