U.S. citizens released from Viet Nam

Three U.S. citizens have been released from Viet Nam, including a couple accused of carrying a handgun and bullets at the Ho Chi Minh City airport, and a pro-democracy activist, Agence France-Presse reported Wednesday.

Le Van Phan and his wife Nguyen Thi Thinh, a Vietnamese-American couple, were called “terrorists” by state media after their arrest on November 23. Leon Truong, a member of the California-based Viet Tan party, was arrested on November 17 with five other activists, including another Vietnamese-American, a French woman, a Thai citizen and two Vietnamese nationals.

The other Vietnamese-American arrested, Nguyen Quoc Quan, “is still in custody and we haven’t received a formal notification of charges brought against him,” Steve Royster, spokesman for the State Department’s consular affairs division, said.

Loretta Sanchez, Democratic legislator from California, said “it is appalling to me these arrests ever happened,” and called for the immediate release of Nguyen.

“When will the harassment, the arrest of the U.S. citizens, and the harassment and jailing of the Vietnamese people end,” she asked at a news conference on Capitol Hill, accusing Hanoi of human rights abuses against its own citizens.

Viet Nam has stated that it only prosecutes people who break the law, and not political activists, although provisions ban anti-state propaganda.

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U.N., Viet Nam commit to sustained cooperation on human rights

On International Human Rights Day, the United Nations pledged continued support to Viet Nam to help implement its human rights commitments, Mathaba.net reported Monday, citing the state-run Vietnam News Agency.

“Viet Nam has made tremendous social and economic progress, and shown leadership by ratifying several key international human rights treaties,” said U.N. Resident Coordinator John Hendra. He added that it is important that future growth be inclusive so all Vietnamese can benefit from the country’s progress.

“The UN system stands ready to both assist Viet Nam in meeting its international commitments and in its continued efforts to enable all Vietnamese people to enjoy their rights enshrined nearly 60 years ago in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” he said.

While Viet Nam has made progress in complying with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), U.N. officials said that more needs to be done in both areas so that women and children are able to participate more fully in Vietnamese society. United Nations Development Fund for Women official Suzette Mitchell said the circumstances of rural and ethnic minority women in particular must be addressed as part of complying with CEDAW.

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Amnesty takes on case of detained Vietnamese trade unionists

The imprisonment of five trade unionists in Viet Nam is being highlighted by Amnesty International in their Global Write-A-Thon campaign.

Tran Quoc Hien, who was elected as spokesperson for the United Workers-Farmers Organization (UWFO) in January, was arrested after holding the position for only two days. He has been accused of being a member of the Internet-based pro-democracy movement Bloc 8406.

Authorities claim Hien “joined reactionary organizations over the internet,” and say he and his accomplices incited demonstrations and “distorted” articles on the Internet under “the guise of helping members of the public lodge petitions.” In May, Hien was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment plus two years’ probation.

The four other UWFO leaders, Nguyen Tan Hoanh, Tran Thi Le Hang, Doan Huy Chuong and his father Doan Van Dien, are believed to be held at B5 prison camp in Dong Nai province, although Amnesty International does not know what charges they will be tried for, or when their case will be brought to trial.

Amnesty International invites people to take action by writing letters to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung calling for the release of these prisoners.

For the Amnesty International release, click here.

Arrests of U.S. citizens in Viet Nam confirmed by U.S. officials

American officials confirmed reports that Viet Nam has detained four U.S. citizens, Agence France-Presse reported Tuesday.

The statements were made after the officials gained their first consular access to two of the detainees.

Police arrested six pro-democracy activists in Ho Chi Minh City on November 17, two of whom were U.S. citizens. The activists are members of the California-based Viet Tan party, which the Vietnamese government considers a terrorist organization.

Two more Vietnamese-Americans were arrested on November 23 at the city’s airport, according to reports by state-controlled media that labeled the detainees “terrorists.” They were reportedly found carrying a handgun and bullets. Viet Tan has denied any link with these individuals.

Viet Tan has charged that Viet Nam, having arrested peaceful activists, “had to fabricate a link with two individuals who allegedly smuggled a firearm into Vietnam in order to paint Viet Tan as a terrorist organization.”

Speaking about the arrests during a visit to Hanoi Tuesday, U.S. senior diplomat Stephen Mull said: “We do hope that people are not charged with terrorism just for expressing their opinions peacefully.”

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Internet in Viet Nam provides platform for dissidents

The Internet has been available for a decade in Viet Nam, and with approximately 20 percent of the population surfing the web, the internet has become a podium for dissidents as well as a source for information about the outside world, Agence France-Presse reported Sunday.

“The Internet has had a great impact on my life... since I know more people, know more about the world, about other countries I have never been to,” said Tran Nguyen Hung, a student in Hanoi, “I cannot imagine how my life would be without logging onto the Internet at least once a week.”

In Viet Nam, the media is heavily controlled, but with Internet access, dissidents have a new way of gathering information and speaking out.

“The Internet has served as a source of information on topics the government deems too sensitive to discuss openly, such as relations with China or a multiparty system,” Viet Nam expert Carl Thayer of the Australian Defence Force Academy said.

The government tries to regulate what material is available on the Internet, although “technically, it is difficult to predict or prevent all the poisonous information on the Internet, even with strict cooperation” among the ministries of culture and information, and the police,” Mai Liem Truc, a former post and telecommunications minister said.

“Censorship hardens on Internet sites dealing with politics and religion, and bloggers suffer the same hardships as journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement criticizing government controls.

The organization had hoped that Viet Nam’s ascension into the World Trade Organization would help relax government controls over the internet. “But this year Vietnam has seen its worst wave of arrests of cyber-dissidents since 2002,” added the group, which registers eight cyberdissidents currently in jail in Viet Nam.

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Vietnamese-American activist group calls for release of prisoners in Viet Nam

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a U.S.-based group, released a protest letter Tuesday regarding the sentences of human rights lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan. The sentences for both Dai and Nhan were reduced during an appeals trial, but upheld by the court. Dai and Nhan were sentenced for spreading propaganda under “article 88” of the criminal code.

The letter states: “The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) strongly protests the sentences of lawyers Le Thi Cong Nhan and Nguyen Van Dai’s appeal trial and the use of brutal force to attack and prevent pro-democracy activists who came to attend the appeal trial…”

The PDP also mentions the recent arrest of democracy activists, saying the arrests “have confirmed to the international community that Vietnam is still under a totalitarian regime where the freedom of expression is neither respected nor tolerated.”

The group also called for the release of other “article 88” victims, including Dr. Le Nguyen Sang, Journalist Huynh Nguyen Dao, Lawyers Nguyen Bac Truyen, Tran Quoc Hien, Father Nguyen Van Ly, Nguyen Phong, and Nguyen Binh Thanh.

To read the full letter, click here.
For the AFP article on the case, click here.

Viet Nam rejects moves by Western nations to place sanctions on Burma

Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet on Wednesday expressed opposition to efforts by Western countries to punish Burma through economic sanctions, saying Viet Nam remembered the pain economic sanctions brought, Agence France-Presse reported today.

“Vietnam experienced war and was slapped with economic sanctions,” Triet said.

“We fully understand the agony people that felt at the time,” he said. “Therefore, we will not support economic sanctions on Myanmar, which are merely a means of making people suffer.”

The United States and European Union have placed sanctions on Burma due to its crackdown on protestors and activists. Countries in Asia, however, have preferred to focus on engaging the military junta, although Japan has cancelled nearly 5 million dollars in aid to the country.

Both Ibrahim Gambari, United Nations special envoy on Myanmar, and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fakuda have asked Viet Nam to support U.N. efforts to resolve the crisis in Burma, with Gambari saying Viet Nam is among the states closest to Myanmar’s regime.

Triet explained that Viet Nam is concerned with the situation in Burma. “We want to try hard to resolve the issue smoothly through cooperation among Vietnam, ASEAN and the United Nations,” he said.

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Vietnamese dissidents remain defiant after receiving reduced jail term

Two pro-democracy activists received a reduction in their jail terms, although the convictions against them of spreading propaganda, which falls under article 88 of the criminal code, were upheld in an appeals court, Agence France-Presse reported today.

In an unusually charged appeal hearing, human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai, 38, had his sentence cut from five years to four, while his colleague Le Thi Cong Nhan’s sentence was decreased from four years to three. The activists, however, continued to reject the charges against them as they left the court room.

“I reject both trials because they never would have brought a fair and objective sentence for me,” said Dai, flanked by two police officers. “The reason for my struggle is the lack of democracy and human rights in Vietnam.”

Nhan also challenged the court saying, “Even if I had been freed today, it would have been like being moved from a small to a big prison.”

“I would continue to express my opinion,” she added.

Defense lawyer Dang Trong Dung said that citizens have the right to freedom of expression, and that “it is necessary to reconsider article 88. It is necessary to redefine the notion of propaganda.”

The activists were arrested in March and sentenced in May for their Internet writings, interviews with foreign media, and meetings held with students to discuss democracy.

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Rice called on to help secure release of U.S. activist arrested in Viet Nam

U.S. Representatives Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Loretta Sanchez Grove (D-CA), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) have sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking her to help gain the release of two U.S. political activists arrested in Viet Nam, The Honolulu Advertiser reported on November 23.

The U.S. based pro-democracy group Viet Tan stated that Vietnamese police had detained six activists over the weekend, including two U.S. citizens, a French citizen and a Thai citizen.

“We are disappointed to hear that the government of Vietnam has arrested United States citizens in Vietnam for reportedly having a peaceful discussion,” the letter read.

“Not only do we ask you to work to return these United States citizens to the United States, but we ask you to convey to the government of Vietnam that the arbitrary detention of United States citizens is unacceptable.”

Reporters Without Borders also condemned the arrest of the activists, stating: “We call for their immediate release since they were only engaged in peacefully promoting freedom of expression.”

The U.S. Embassy confirmed the arrest of a U.S. citizen, and has requested an interview with him. An investigation into the reason for his detention is also being made.

For the full story, click here.

Viet Nam leaders meet with EU about new bilateral pact

In a visit to Hanoi by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Union and Viet Nam today launched talks about a new cooperation pact, Agence France-Presse reported.

Barroso, the first head of the EU executive body to visit the communist country, has commended Viet Nam’s sharp economic growth and poverty reduction.

According to a joint statement made by Barroso and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, one of the aims of the discussion was to “facilitate deeper economic and commercial integration between the European Union and Vietnam preceding a future Free Trade Agreement between the EU and countries of ASEAN.”

The pact would cover areas such as trade, investment, education, culture, justice, security, the environment, and science and technology.

“The time has now come to establish a closer political partnership between the EU and Vietnam, enabling us to tackle more effectively some of the common global challenges we are faced with,” Barroso said.

EU-Vietnamese dialogue had broadened in recent years, Barroso added, “to include more political issues such as governance, human rights and anti-corruption.”

Barroso said he had discussed human rights with Dung, but did not elaborate on specific topics. A source also said members of the EU delegation raised concerns about the recent arrests of pro-democracy activists, including the November 17 detention of a U.S., French, and Thai citizen.

For the full article, click here.

Viet Nam arrests six activists, according to dissident group

A dissident group has reported the arrest of six pro-democracy activists on Saturday by security forces in Viet Nam, Agence France-Presse reported today. The group included two U.S., one French and one Thai national.

The U.S.-based Viet Tan (Vietnam Reform) party released a statement saying that the activists “aspired to publicize information on successful non-violent struggles from around the world and to use these lessons to help empower the Vietnamese people.” Viet Tan said that neither the activists’ families nor the non-Vietnamese citizens’ embassies had been notified of the detentions. The group additionally declared that: “While these individuals may have different backgrounds and reside in different countries, they are Vietnamese patriots who share a common dream to establish democracy and reform the country.”

A police official from the district where the detentions reportedly occurred told AFP that “We have not heard anything about this affair.”

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Institute for Global Engagement delegation returns from Viet Nam

The Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) and an accompanying delegation recently visited Hanoi and the Northwest province of Lao Cai as a part of its 2006 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnamese government, according to an IGE press release issued Wednesday. The MOU works to promote religious freedom in Viet Nam.

Highlights from the visit included: the second “Religion and Rule of Law” conference to be held in Southeast Asia; the signing of a protocol which provides guidance for further implementing the socio-economic policies of an NGO working in Lao Cai; meetings with members of Viet Nam’s National Assembly, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Security to deepen religious dialogue; and a personal meeting with President Triet.

The IGE delegation gathered information about the religious freedom climate in Viet Nam, and learned of Hanoi’s program to educate governmental and religious leaders about ordinances, decrees and guidelines dealing with religious freedom.

For the full press release, click here.

Disparity between rich and poor growing in Viet Nam

The rapid economic growth in Viet Nam has left many rural communities behind, Agence France-Presse reported on November 7.

In Na Lia, a rice faming hamlet of approximately 400 members of the Tay ethnic minority, residents do not have electricity or telephones, and the village economy is largely cashless. Moreover, Na Lia has not witnessed the growth seen in cities such as Hanoi.

“There’s a vast disparity between Vietnam’s rural and urban areas,” said Hassan Ahmad, whose Singapore-based group Lien Aid has launched an anti-poverty project here, funded by the city-state’s Ian Ferguson Foundation.

According to the World Bank, “the poverty rate among ethnic minorities and communities in mountainous areas is much higher compared to the national average.” In 2004, 60 percent of the people in these communities lived in poverty.

Lien Aid has been working in Na Lia, and has implemented initiatives such as new sand-filtered water-tanks, and the construction of a new school and library. Agricultural experts have also introduced soy beans and high-yield rice, doubling outputs in the process.

“People from other villages have come to take a look,” Ahmad said. “We believe this project can be replicated. The real needs in Vietnam are in places like this, beyond the mountains and at the ends of inaccessible roads.”

For the full story, click here.

Central Viet Nam suffers from more flooding

Central Viet Nam has endured its fifth major flood since August, leaving tens of thousands of homes submerged under water, Reuters reported today.

In the coastal cities of Hue and Danang, and Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh Provinces, relief workers delivered emergency supplies, including household kits, clean water containers and mosquito nets.

“The water is at very dangerous levels and we are not very clear on what all the needs are,” said spokesman Tao Van Dang of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Hanoi. “Some people need help for disease prevention.”

According to disaster reports, in recent days, 24 people have died and 8 have been deemed missing, while approximately 25,000 people have been evacuated to higher ground. The latest deaths have brought the total for the region to 332, 114 of which occurred since October 26.

In the past few weeks, Viet Nam has had an outbreak of acute diarrhea, including cases of cholera, as well as dengue and bird flu.

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House Foreign Affairs subcommittee holds hearing on human rights concerns in Viet Nam

The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight held a hearing Tuesday regarding human rights concerns in Vietnam. The hearing was chaired by Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA). The subcommittee heard from three panels of witnesses.

Delahunt began the hearing by outlining the current situation in Viet Nam. He said that the economic relationship between the United States and Viet Nam is growing. When it comes to human rights, however, he said that the U.S. “should not be influenced by economic gains or other enticements to lose [our] values.”

Viet Nam’s lack of religious freedom was discussed often, with many of the witnesses and committee members saying that Viet Nam should be put back on the U.S. State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for religious freedom list. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said that “no real progress has been made” in the area of religious freedom despite claims from the Vietnamese government.

Scot Marciel, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, defended the State Department’s decision to remove Viet Nam from the CPC list, saying that the removal did not mean all religious freedom problems have been solved. He explained that “the promotion of human rights continues to be one of our highest priorities.”

Sophie Richardson, Deputy Director for Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, said that Viet Nam was experiencing the harshest crackdown on dissent in 20 years, with the government moving to suppress all opposition. This statement was in agreement with the testimony of Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), who said that since Viet Nam became a member of the World Trade Organization, there aren’t any Vietnamese dissidents who are actually residing outside of prison. Cong Thanh Do, spokesman for The People’s Democratic Party, highlighted the United States’ role, saying funding provided by the U.S. for counterterrorism training was being used to suppress the Vietnamese people.

Many recommendations were made on what procedures the United States should take in dealing with Viet Nam. LCHR President Kathryn Cameron Porter emphasized the need for expanded dialogue between American and Vietnamese leaders. Mentioning a recent LCHR-hosted NGO roundtable with a delegation from Vietnam’s newly-elected National Assembly, Porter urged Members of Congress to hold similar exchanges to help promote reform. “I believe you all hold a key to this,” Porter told Subcommittee Chairman William Delahunt and his colleagues, adding, “out of dialogue comes discourse.”

Death toll from flooding in Viet Nam rises, with typhoon expected this weekend

Government reports issued today say that more people in central Viet Nam have died due to floods, raising the death toll to 82 as fears of a typhoon, expected to hit the country this weekend, loom, Reuters reported today.

Provincial authorities have been asked by the government to warn people about the danger of moving as the flood water receded. Many deaths have been reported during the first part of this week while people tried to salvage wood and cross streams.

The flooding could also spread the bird flu in Quang Tri Province, an Agriculture Ministry Official said. Quang Tri is one of the four provinces that reported an outbreak of the disease among birds in the past month.

Typhoon Peipah, which entered the South China Sea on Monday, is expected to hit the central province of Khanh Hoa, the top coffee growing province in the country. Vietnamese officials have also asked the coastal provinces to warn fisherman as the typhoon heads for the coast.

Almost 200 people have been killed from storms and floods since early October.

For the full story, click here.

Flooding in central Viet Nam kills 20

Flooding caused by torrential rains in Viet Nam’s central provinces has killed 20 people, injured 30 and left 1 missing, ReliefWeb reported Thursday.

The largest loss of life occurred in Quang Nam Province, where nine people died.

Many roads and houses were inundated across the central region, and the rain caused landslides in Quang Ngai and Kon Tum Province.

In 2006, natural disasters in Viet Nam killed 339 people and injured over 2,000, with total losses of approximately 18.6 trillion dong, the equivalent of $1.2 billion.

For the full article, click here.

Prenatal son selection could have damaging consequences for Viet Nam, other Asian countries, U.N. says

According to a recent study commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Asian countries may face severe social consequences in the future due to prenatal son selection, the UN News Centre reported Monday.

Viet Nam will face problems similar to India and China, the countries with the greatest imbalance between male and female births, unless response measures are adopted. The study reveals that “Viet Nam is in almost the same situation now as China was 10 years ago,” and that the sex ratio at birth there will be severely imbalanced within a decade.

Many in Asian countries prefer to have sons for economic and cultural reasons. Girls can be seen as a liability when it comes to paying a dowry, and families depend on their sons to perform last rights and ancestor worship.

Ultrasounds and amniocentesis are used to determine the sex of a baby, and unwanted females are sometimes aborted. Potential consequences of prenatal son selection include an increase in sexual violence and female trafficking, as well as pressure on males who will be unable to find wives.

“Sex ratio imbalances only lead to far-reaching imbalances in the society at large,” UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said. “And in response, we must carry forward the message that every human being is born equal in dignity, worth and human rights.”

For the full article, click here.

Seven die from flooding in central Viet Nam

Floods caused by heavy rains killed seven people in the central Viet Nam provinces of Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, and Quang Ngai, officials said today, Earthtimes.org reported.

The Central Flood and Storm department reported that all of the victims were washed away and drowned in swollen springs and rivers.

“I’m afraid more people may be killed if they keep carelessly crossing springs and rivers that are empowered by rain water,” Dam Vinh Loi, deputy head of the flood and storm department of Binh Dinh Province, said.

Floods and storms have killed at least 188 people in Viet Nam so far this year.

For the full article, click here.

Central Viet Nam focus of rural infrastructure project

A $168.2 million project is intended to improve rural infrastructure and raise the standard of living in one of Viet Nam’s poorest regions, All Headline News reported Thursday.

“Poverty in Vietnam is a rural phenomenon, focused to a large extent on the more isolated central and northern regions of the country. It especially affects ethnic minorities,” said Ahsan Tayyab, senior natural resources economist of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Southeast Asia Department.

ADB and Viet Nam have prioritized 13 provinces in Central Viet Nam, where deteriorating infrastructure has limited access to markets, irrigation water, and public services.

For the full article, click here.