US embassy cable - 05HANOI1389

UNCLAS HANOI 001389 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, KIRF, VM, HUMANR, RELFREE 
SUBJECT:  GETTING PASTOR TRUONG OUT OF THE ASYLUM 
 
Ref: A. HCMC 581; B. Hanoi 1379 
 
This is a joint Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City cable 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  Although Mission has seen some positive 
movement in the case of Baptist Pastor Than Van Truong -- 
his hospital recently reportedly determined that he no 
longer needs mental health care -- he nonetheless remains 
confined.  The Ambassador will raise his case with Vice 
Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Huong in a meeting on 
June 13.  Depending on the outcome, Mission may request that 
the Department call in the Vietnamese Ambassador or another 
suitably high-ranking official to discuss this matter.  End 
Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) On June 3, we spoke with the lawyer of Than Van 
Truong.  Pastor Truong has been involuntarily committed to a 
mental hospital in Dong Nai Province since October 2004.  It 
appears that Truong is being held for the peaceful 
expression of his religious and political views (Ref A.) 
Following multiple interventions by HCMC poloff with Dong 
Nai officials, a letter from the CG to the Chairman of the 
provincial People's Committee and a demarche by DCM to MFA 
in Hanoi, Truong's lawyer told us that his client had been 
"declared sane" by a panel of doctors in the mental 
hospital.  (Note:  The Ambassador also raised Truong's case 
with Vice Foreign Minister Vu Dzung on June 9.  Ref B.  End 
Note.)  However, the attorney was concerned that the 
hospital is pressing Truong to sign a document prior to his 
release affirming that he has been cured of his mental 
illness before they release him.  The attorney said that he 
would not recommend that Truong sign such a document. 
 
3. (SBU) On June 9 we were able to contact Dr. Hoang Trong 
Tam (strictly protect), who until recently was Truong's 
attending physician in the mental hospital.  Tam told us 
that, following our May 25 visit to the hospital; he had 
been transferred to another ward and no longer treats 
Truong.  Tam stated that the hospital had decided to 
medically reevaluate Truong independent of any guidance from 
the Dong Nai Prosecutor's Office.  The review concluded that 
Truong is well enough to be released and receive "treatment" 
at home.  (The Hospital Director told us on May 25 that the 
hospital had stopped administering the anti-psychotic 
Haloperidol, the only treatment he had been receiving.)  Tam 
said that there is concern among Dong Nai authorities that 
Truong has not abandoned his strong views on religion and 
politics, but there is increasing pressure on the hospital 
to find a face-saving solution to this case.  In this 
regard, the Director of the Hospital has been asked to 
travel to Hanoi to explain the case.  Tam has been 
instructed to prepare a report on the medical reevaluation 
for the Director. 
 
4. (SBU) On June 9, we also spoke with Ho Van Nam, Deputy 
Chief Prosecutor of Dong Nai Province.  The Deputy 
Prosecutor told us that it is up to the hospital to notify 
the prosecutor's office of any change in Truong's condition. 
We replied that our understanding was that the Prosecutor 
had to initiate the formal legal review process in order to 
secure Truong's release.  We asked if the Prosecutor had 
submitted such a request.  Nam refused to answer or to 
discuss the case with us further on the phone.  Separately, 
the Dong Nai Office of External Relations told us that it 
had no new information about the case nor had it heard 
anything from the Ministry of Public Security regarding our 
requests for additional information on Truong's mental 
condition. 
 
5. (SBU) Comment:  We are encouraged that the hospital has 
performed a review of Truong's case and reportedly has 
determined that further stay in the mental hospital is not 
needed.  However, more worrying are the Prosecutor's 
apparent stalling on requesting a legal reexamination of the 
case as well as the demand that Truong admit to having been 
mentally ill as a precondition for his release.  Should 
Truong sign he would be vulnerable to a declaration that he 
had "relapsed" at some future date.  The Ambassador will 
raise Truong's case with Vice Minister of Public Security 
Nguyen Van Huong on June 13.  Depending on the outcome of 
this discussion, Mission may request the Department call in 
the SRV Ambassador or another suitably high-ranking official 
to reinforce our case with HCMC-drafted points.  End 
Comment. 
 
MARINE