US embassy cable - 02HANOI2079

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 002079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL 08/22/2012 
TAGS: PHUM, PINS, PGOV, SOCI, VM, DPOL 
SUBJECT:  BITTER AFTERLIFE OF GENERAL TRAN DO'S FUNERAL 
 
REF:  HANOI 1787 
 
1.  (U)  CLASSIFIED BY POL/C SCOTT BELLARD; REASON 1.5(D) 
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2.  (C)  IN TWO SEPARATE CONVERSATIONS ON AUGUST 20 AND 21, 
THREE OF HANOI'S LEADING DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS TOLD POLOFF 
THAT THEY VIEW GENERAL TRAN DO'S AUGUST 14 FUNERAL AS AN 
"HISTORIC POLITICAL EVENT" HIGHLIGHTING THE NATIONAL 
LEADERSHIP'S DISTANCE FROM THE PEOPLE.  DESPITE A NEAR- 
TOTAL LACK OF ADVANCE PUBLICITY, BETWEEN ONE AND TWO 
THOUSAND PEOPLE ATTENDED THE FUNERAL, ACCORDING TO DR. 
NGUYEN THANH GIANG.  THEY INCLUDED MANY "REGULAR PEOPLE AND 
VETERANS" AND "OLD PARTY MEMBERS," SAID ACTIVIST AND AUTHOR 
HOANG TIEN ON AUGUST 20. 
 
3.  (C)  PHAM QUE DUONG, DR. GIANG, AND TIEN (PLEASE 
PROTECT) WERE ALL DISMISSIVE OF THE HIGHEST-RANKING 
OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE AT THE FUNERAL, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN AND CPV CENTRAL 
COMMITTEE MEMBER VU MAO.  THEY COMPLAINED THAT IT WAS 
"INSULTING" THAT A POLITBURO MEMBER HAD NOT BEEN PRESENT. 
TIEN NOTED THAT SENTIMENT IN THE CROWD AGAINST THE GVN'S 
AND CPV'S HANDLING OF THE FUNERAL WAS REMARKABLY 
WIDESPREAD.  DR. GIANG DESCRIBED HOW EVEN SOME OF "THE OLD 
PARTY MEMBERS" AT THE FUNERAL HAD BEGUN BEHAVING AS IF THEY 
WERE AT A DEMONSTRATION, PUMPING THEIR FISTS IN THE AIR IN 
APPARENT ANGER AT THE CPV'S AND GVN'S "SHABBY TREATMENT" OF 
GENERAL DO.  IT SHOWED A LACK OF RESPECT TOWARD A MAN MANY 
REGARDED AS A NATIONAL HERO, GOING AGAINST VIETNAMESE 
CULTURE AND TRADITION, GIANG AND TIEN SEPARATELY NOTED. 
 
4.  (C)  TIEN HAS WRITTEN A SHARPLY CRITICAL TRACT ABOUT 
THE FUNERAL ENTITLED "THE SOUND OF CLAPPING AT A FUNERAL" 
(SEPTEL WILL PROVIDE TRANSLATION).  HE AND FELLOW ACTIVISTS 
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PHAM QUE DUONG AND VAN KHAC KHIN ARE IN THE PROCESS OF 
DISTRIBUTING COPIES TO TOP GVN AND CPV OFFICIALS AS WELL AS 
TO OTHER ACTIVISTS. 
 
5.  (C)  ACCORDING TO DUONG, THERE WERE POLICE BARRICADES 
AROUND THE FUNERAL HALL.  HE EXPRESSED DOUBT THAT ANY 
FOREIGNERS, MUCH LESS A US EMBASSY OFFICIAL, WOULD HAVE 
BEEN ALLOWED TO ATTEND, ALTHOUGH HE SAID THAT HE SAW A FEW 
FOREIGN JOURNALISTS OUTSIDE THE BARRICADES. 
 
6.  (C)   DR. GIANG DISCUSSED THE FUNERAL WITH POLOFF IN 
THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER MAN WHOM HE SIMPLY CALLED "ONG" (A 
PRONOUN OF RESPECT) KHANH.  KHANH CLAIMED TO BE A 
"REVOLUTIONARY" AND CPV MEMBER BEGINNING IN 1944 AS WELL AS 
AN ASSISTANT TO THEN-POLITBURO MEMBER TRAN XUAN BACH. 
(NOTE:  BACH WAS ELECTED TO THE POLITBURO AT THE SIXTH 
PARTY CONGRESS IN 1986.  END NOTE.)   DR. GIANG SAID THAT 
THE POLICE "DID NOT DARE" TO DO ANYTHING TO ELDERLY CPV 
MEMBERS SUCH AS KHANH BECAUSE OF THEIR STATURE, AND CLAIMED 
THAT KHANH REPRESENTED AN OLDER GENERATION OF CPV MEMBERS 
THAT QUIETLY AGREES WITH THE DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS.  DR. 
GIANG REMARKED THAT VIETNAMESE YOUTH DO NOT PAY MUCH 
ATTENTION EITHER TO THE CPV OR TO DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS, BUT 
OPINED THAT THEY "LIKED" THE DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS MORE. 
 
7.  (U)  THERE WAS LIMITED BUT RESPECTFUL COVERAGE IN MAJOR 
VIETNAMESE NEWSPAPERS ABOUT TRAN DO'S DEATH (BUT NOT ABOUT 
HIS FUNERAL, AS FAR AS WE CAN ASCERTAIN), WHILE OMITTING 
ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT HIS FALL-OUT WITH AND EVENTUAL 
EXPULSION FROM THE PARTY IN HIS LATER YEARS. 
 
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8.  (C)  COMMENT:  EMBASSY AGREES WITH THE ASSESSMENT OF 
THESE ACTIVISTS THAT THEY ARE UNLIKELY TO BE ALONE WITHIN 
ELITE CIRCLES IN RESENTING THE TREATMENT OF GENERAL TRAN DO 
BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER HIS DEATH.  WE NONETHELESS DO NOT 
EXPECT ANY STRONG GVN RESPONSE -- APART FROM A POSSIBLE NEW 
ROUND OF QUESTIONING AND/OR HEIGHTENED PETTY HARASSMENT -- 
AGAINST THEM EVEN AFTER THE DISTRIBUTION OF TIEN'S TRACT. 
CPV AND GVN SENSITIVITIES ABOUT TRAN DO'S UNIQUE STATURE 
AND HISTORY, AS WELL AS SOME POSSIBLE TACIT SYMPATHIES 
WITHIN THE CPV TOWARD DO'S CRITICISMS, LIKELY WILL MAKE IT 
DIFFICULT TO ARRIVE AT A SENIOR-LEVEL CONSENSUS ON ANY 
LARGER CAMPAIGN OF RETALIATION OR ANY NEW CRACKDOWN AGAINST 
DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS. 
PORTER 
 
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