At least 500 people attended the funeral of Hoang Minh Chinh, one of Vietnam’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, Agence France Presse reported Wednesday. Among those present, according to the article, were, “family members, dissidents, writers and poets – but also scores of undercover police, who photographed and videotaped mourners but did not obstruct foreign media.”
This was despite the fact that Vietnamese authorities made it difficult for some to attend the funeral.
According to a press release from the Democratic Party of Vietnam, a U.S. doctor who was in the country for the event was interrogated and deported.
Dr Nguyen Thi An Nhan, who is currently a heart surgeon at Stanford Medical Hospital in Palo Alto, California, has been a member of the Democratic Party of Vietnam since Hoang Minh Chinh reestablished it in June 2006.
According to the press release, the Viet Nam government ordered a team of police to enter the Sheraton Hotel in Hanoi on February 15, one day before the funeral, and forced Nhan to the nearby police station, interrogating her for more than six hours. Finally, they escorted her to the airport and demanded she leave the country that night.
At the funeral, a message was played that had been recorded by Chinh before he died. “I wish you success in the struggle for freedom and independence and happiness for all Vietnamese people,” he said.
For the full article, click here.
For the press release from the Democratic Party of Vietnam, click here.
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