US embassy cable - 02HOCHIMINHCITY966

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000966 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, VM, HUMANR 
SUBJECT:  POLICE QUESTION DR. NGUYEN DAN QUE 
 
 
1.  (SBU) BEGIN SUMMARY:  HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST DR. NGUYEN 
DAN QUE VERBALLY SPARRED WITH POLICE AND OTHER SECURITY 
PERSONNEL FOR FOUR HOURS ON SEPTEMBER 20, WHEN THEY 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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APPEARED AT HIS HOME IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING HIM TO THE 
LOCAL POLICE STATION FOR QUESTIONING.  NOT KNOWING THE 
REASONS FOR THIS UNEXPECTED VISIT, QUE REFUSED TO ACCOMPANY 
THE POLICE WITHOUT A PROPER LEGAL SUMMONS. POLOFF VISITED 
QUE THE DAY AFTER THE INCIDENT AND FOUND HIM FEISTY, 
HEALTHY AND DETERMINED TO CONTINUE TO CHAMPION HUMAN RIGHTS 
AND DEMOCRACY IN VIETNAM.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU) DR. QUE'S BROTHER IN THE U.S. CALLED CONGEN HCMC 
ON SEPTEMBER 20, SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT HAD TAKEN 
PLACE.  ACCORDING TO THE BROTHER, QUE HAD PHONED HIM AND 
HAD JUST BEGUN TO DESCRIBE THE POLICE STANDOFF WHEN THE 
CALL WAS CUT OFF.  FEARING FOR QUE'S SAFETY, THE BROTHER 
ASKED FOR ASSISTANCE.  CONGEN THEN MADE SOME INQUIRIES AND 
AGREED WITH THE BROTHER THAT BOTH WOULD KEEP IN CONTACT AND 
CONTINUE TO CALL THE LAST KNOWN CELL PHONE NUMBER FOR DR. 
QUE.  (POST NOTE: LOCAL SECURITY AUTHORITIES REGULARLY SHOW 
THEIR IRRITATION WITH QUE BY DISCONNECTING HIS HOME PHONE 
AND CELL PHONE.)  EARLY SEPTEMBER 21, HAVING MANAGED TO 
REESTABLISH CONTACT AND GAIN A CLEARER PICTURE OF THE 
SITUATION, THE BROTHER CONVEYED QUE'S INVITATION TO THE 
CONSULATE GENERAL TO VISIT HIM AT HOME TO DISCUSS THE 
SITUATION. 
 
3.  (SBU) CONGEN POLOFF VISITED DR. QUE ON THE AFTERNOON OF 
SEPTEMBER 21.  HE SEEMED UNFAZED BY THIS LATEST BRUSH WITH 
THE STATE SECURITY APPARATUS AND APPEARED TO BE IN GOOD 
HEALTH.  HE SPOKE OPENLY AND ANIMATEDLY.  WHILE THERE WERE 
NO UNIFORMED POLICE NEAR THE RESIDENCE, THE EXISTENCE OF 
CONSTRUCTION CREWS WORKING NEXT DOOR MADE IT DIFFICULT TO 
TELL IF THE PROPERTY WAS UNDER SURVEILLANCE.  POLOFF 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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ENCOUNTERED NO OBSTACLES TO HIS ONE-BLOCK WALK DOWN THE 
SIDESTREET ON WHICH DR. QUE LIVES. 
 
4.  (SBU) DESCRIBING EVENTS WITH HIS USUAL BRAVADO, DR. QUE 
SAID THAT 20-30 POLICE AND SECURITY OFFICERS CAME TO HIS 
HOME ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 AT 0800 AND STAYED UNTIL NOON. 
SEVERAL OFFICERS WORE LOCAL POLICE UNIFORMS, BUT MANY MORE 
WERE DRESSED IN STREET CLOTHES.  TWO MARKED POLICE CARS 
BLOCKED THE ALLEYWAY ON BOTH SIDES OF QUE'S DOORWAY.  A MAN 
WHO IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS NGUYEN VAN DUNG, DEPUTY CHIEF OF 
POLITICAL SECURITY, LED THE OPERATION AND DID MOST OF THE 
TALKING FOR THE NEXT FOUR HOURS.  UPON ARRIVAL, DUNG 
FLASHED AN OFFICIAL LOOKING DOCUMENT AND DEMANDED THAT QUE 
ACCOMPANY HIM TO THE POLICE STATION.  CITING ILL HEALTH AND 
THE LACK OF A VALID LEGAL DOCUMENT ALLEGING SPECIFIC 
VIOLATIONS OF VIETNAMESE LAW, QUE REFUSED. 
 
5.  (SBU) DEPUTY CHIEF DUNG ACCUSED DR. QUE OF AUTHORING 
PRINT AND INTERNET ARTICLES CRITICAL OF GVN POLICIES. 
ACCORDING TO QUE, DUNG THREATENED TO USE "STRONG MEASURES," 
TO INDUCE QUE TO SUBMIT TO QUESTIONING.  QUE FREELY 
ADMITTED THE TEXTS WERE HIS (SOME WERE SEVERAL YEARS OLD) 
AND INVITED POLICE TO CONDUCT A SEARCH.  HE NOTED THAT HIS 
OPINIONS WERE ALREADY A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD AND HE HAD 
NOTHING TO HIDE.  HE INSISTED THAT HE WOULD GO TO THE 
POLICE STATION ONLY IF FORCED TO DO SO.  AFTER ATTEMPTING 
TO PRESSURE QUE'S WIFE AND TWO ADULT SONS TO CONVINCE HIM 
TO GIVE IN, DEPUTY CHIEF DUNG AND COMPANY FINALLY DEPARTED, 
LEAVING SEVERAL OFFICERS BEHIND.  AS HE LEFT, DUNG PROMISED 
TO RETURN SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE WITH HIS BOSS, CHIEF THAI 
VAN TAM, AND A COURT ORDER. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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6.  (SBU) DR. QUE REPEATEDLY EMPHASIZED THAT HE HAD NO IDEA 
WHAT MIGHT HAVE TRIGGERED THIS SUDDEN BURST OF INTEREST 
FROM THE AUTHORITIES.  ONE POSSIBILITY HE MENTIONED, 
HOWEVER, WAS THE FACT THAT HE HAD BEEN EXPECTING A VISIT 
FROM PHIL FISHMAN AND TIM RYAN OF THE AFL-CIO.  BUT THEY 
HAD NOT ACTUALLY MADE CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE 
QUE'S PHONE SERVICE HAD BEEN INTERMITTENTLY CUT OFF.  AS 
POLOFF WAS LEAVING, QUE SAID THAT HE HAD RECENTLY RECEIVED 
A LAPTOP COMPUTER FROM THE U.S. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF 
SCIENCES AND ASKED IF THE CONSULATE GENERAL COULD ASSIST 
HIM IN CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET.  HE SAID THAT THE 
AUTHORITIES WERE AWARE THAT HE HAD THE COMPUTER, BUT WOULD 
NOT PERMIT HIM TO REGISTER FOR AN INTERNET ACCOUNT. 
 
7.  (SBU) COMMENT: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN AT LEAST A 
YEAR THAT DR. QUE (OR A RELATIVE) HAS SPECIFICALLY ASKED 
FOR CONGEN ASSISTANCE.  OUR SURPRISE WAS MATCHED BY THAT OF 
THE EXTERNAL RELATIONS OFFICE (LOCAL BRANCH OF THE FOREIGN 
MINISTRY IN HCMC), WHO HAD HEARD OF NO NEW REASON FOR QUE 
TO ATTRACT SUCH POLICE ATTENTION.  QUE HAS RECEIVED 
CONGENOFFS AND OTHER AMERICAN VISITORS FAIRLY REGULARLY. 
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE PHONE SERVICE CUTOFFS, HE HAS NOT 
COMPLAINED TO US OF SPECIFIC POLICE HARASSMENT. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ2388 
 
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ACTION EAP-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  DODE-00  SRPP-00 
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      PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00 
        /008W 
                  ------------------EBD9C5  240817Z /38 
R 240812Z SEP 02 
FM AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6825 
INFO AMEMBASSY HANOI 
ASEAN COLLECTIVE 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000966 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
YAMAUCHI 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HO CHI  00966  02 OF 02  240817Z 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED