US embassy cable - 05HOCHIMINHCITY878

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000878 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL, DRL/IRF, DS/IP/EAP, DS/IP/ITA, 
DS/CC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, PREL, PGOV, KIRF, ASEC, VM, Religious Freedom, Human Rights 
SUBJECT: HOA HAO ATTEMPTED SELF-IMMOLATION FOLLOW-UP 
 
REF:  HCMC 872 
 
1.  (SBU) Further to the attempted self-immolation in front of the 
Consulate earlier in the day, Hoa Hao dissidents Truong Van Duc 
and Le Quang Liem contacted ConGenOffs again within minutes of 
each other around 1500h to discuss the incident.  Duc told us that 
his Hoa Hao "contacts" in the Mekong Delta informed him that they 
planned to carry out a self-immolation in front of the Consulate 
to protest GVN treatment of the Hoa Hao.  Nine individuals had 
volunteered to self-immolate one-by-one.  Both Duc and Liem asked 
if the "international community" had planned to do anything to 
help given the "intolerable pressure" on the Hoa Hao.  We did not 
respond, other than to stress that the USG rejects self-immolation 
and all acts of violent extremism no matter the underlying 
grievances and urged all involved to avoid taking actions that 
might lead to loss of life. 
 
2. (SBU) Following these discussions, DPO and RSO informed 
contacts in HCMC's External Relations Office and Ministry of 
Public Security that up to eight more Hoa Hao adherents might 
attempt self-immolations in HCMC.  Interestingly, even as the Hoa 
Hao activists were confirming that the self-immolator was one of 
their own, a contact in the MPS attempted to downplay the Hoa Hao 
angle, telling RSO that the detained individual had no religious 
affiliation and was known to be mentally disturbed. 
 
WINNICK