CENTRAL HIGHLANDS APPEAR CALM; VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES MONITORING CLOSELY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000396

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL, PRM, INR
NSC FOR EAST ASIAN DIRECTORATE
SECDEF FOR ISA/EAP STERN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/16/2011
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SOCI PINR VM RELFREE HUMANR ETMIN
SUBJECT: CENTRAL HIGHLANDS APPEAR CALM; VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES MONITORING CLOSELY


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REF: A) HANOI 313
B) HANOI 247 AND PREVIOUS
C) 00 HO CHI MINH CITY 1110
C) 00 HO CHI MINH CITY 563 AND PREVIOUS


1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY ACTING DCM ROBERT DRY;
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D).


2. (C) SUMMARY: THE CAPITALS OF THE TWO KEY CENTRAL
HIGHLANDS PROVINCES OF GIA LAI AND DAKLAK HAVE STABILIZED,
WITH NO MORE DEMONSTRATIONS SINCE THE WEEKEND OF FEB. 10-

11. POLICE AND MILITARY PRESENCE REMAINS HEAVY IN THE
CAPITAL AND OUTLYING AREAS OF GIA LAI, WHICH WAS THE SITE
OF THE BIGGEST DEMONSTRATIONS. BUON ME THUOT, CAPITAL OF
DAKLAK, IS CALM, AND THERE IS NO VISIBLE POLICE PRESENCE
THERE. COFFEE TRADERS SAY THEIR WORK HAS RETURNED TO
NORMAL IN THE PROVINCES. THE GVN REPORTEDLY SENT IN DEPUTY
PRIME MINISTERS DUNG AND TAC IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST
REPORTS OF DEMONSTRATIONS TWO WEEKS AGO TO MANAGE THE
SITUATION. THE GVN CONTINUES TO SAY ONLY 20 VIETNAMESE
CITIZENS WERE ARRESTED FOLLOWING THE DEMONSTRATIONS, THOUGH
THEY DECLINE TO RELEASE ALL THE NAMES. NGO SOURCES CLAIM
SIGNIFICANTLY MORE WERE ARRESTED, THOUGH THIS CANNOT BE
VERIFIED. AMBASSADOR IS RAISING OUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE
SITUATION AND REQUESTING ACCESS TO THE AREA WITH SENIOR GVN
OFFICIALS. END SUMMARY.

POLICE PRESENCE HEAVY IN GIA LAI; CALM IN DAKLAK
-------------- ---


3. (C) AS DOCUMENTED IN REF A AND INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
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WITH EAP/BCLTV, CALM HAS RETURNED TO THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
PROVINCES OF GIA LAI AND DAKLAK FOLLOWING THE LARGE
DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE PREVIOUS WEEK. (THE PROTESTS WERE
TRIGGERED BY THE ARREST JANUARY 29 OF TWO ETHNIC MINORITY
MEN WHO APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN LEADERS IN PROTESTANT HOUSE
CHURCHES IN THE REGION. THE TWO MEN WERE PROMPTLY RELEASED
AFTER SIGNING A STATEMENT BEFORE GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES.)
WE HAVE RECEIVED REPORTS OF INJURIES SUFFERED BY
DEMONSTRATORS AND POLICE, BUT NO DEATHS HAVE BEEN
CONFIRMED. THE MFA SPOKESPERSON FEB. 15 SAID THERE WERE 20
PERSONS ARRESTED -- AND NO MORE -- IN GIA LAI PROVINCE, THE
SITE OF THE BIGGEST DEMONSTRATIONS. SHE DECLINED TO GIVE
THEIR NAMES, HOWEVER. NGO GROUPS, SUCH AS THE MONTAGNARD
FOUNDATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA, HAVE ALLEGED 200 OR MORE
PERSONS ARRESTED. THE MFA CONTINUES TO DESCRIBE THOSE
ARRESTED AS "PROVOCATIVE PEOPLE" WHO DESTROYED PROPERTY AND
CAUSED INSTABILITY, BUT THE ROOTS OF THE PROTESTS ARE
VARIED.


4. (C) EMBASSY AND CONSULATE STAFF CONTINUE TO MEET WITH
AND SPEAK BY PHONE WITH A WIDE RANGE OF DIPLOMATIC, NGO,
BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT SOURCES ABOUT THE EVENTS IN THE
HIGHLANDS. AN ETHNIC MINORITY STUDENT FROM DAKLAK TOLD
CONGENOFF THAT ONE OF THE MAIN SOURCES OF THE TENSIONS IS
THE CAMPAIGN BY SOME ETHNIC MINORITY PERSONS IN THE
PROVINCES FOR AUTONOMY FROM HANOI. HE SAID RELIGION WAS
ONLY INCIDENTALLY A CAUSE OF THE UNREST; IT IS WHEN
"RELIGION CROSSES OVER INTO POLITICS" (AND PERSONS DEMAND
AUTONOMY) THAT IT BECOMES A POINT OF TENSION WITH THE GVN.
A VIETNAMESE BUSINESSMAN FROM PLEIKU, CAPITAL OF GIA LAI,
SAID THE GVN WAS TOTALLY TAKEN BY SURPRISE BY THE
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DEMONSTRATIONS FOLLOWING THE ARREST OF THE TWO ETHNIC
MINORITY PERSONS.


5. (C) THE DANISH EMBASSY (PROTECT) HAS TWO RESIDENT
AID/DIPLOMATIC PERSONNEL IN BUON ME THUOT, AND THEY REPORT
THE CITY IS QUIET. IN A MEETING THIS WEEK WITH THE CHAIR
OF THE DAKLAK PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE, THE PROVINCIAL
"GOVERNOR", THE DANES WERE TOLD THE PROTESTERS THERE WERE
DEMANDING AUTONOMY AND WERE PROTESTING LACK OF EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES. (HE DID NOT MENTION LAND RIGHTS OR
RELIGIOUS ISSUES, THOUGH THESE WERE UNDOUBTEDLY PART OF THE
EQUATION, AS DISCUSSED IN PREVIOUS REPORTING.) THE DANISH
EMBASSY TOLD US THEY WERE ABLE TO BOOK A FLIGHT INTO AND A
HOTEL IN BUON ME THUOT, SO IT APPEARS THE CITY HAS LARGELY
STABILIZED. (GIA LAI IS MUCH MORE ISOLATED THAN DAKLAK,
WHICH IS THE MAJOR COFFEE-EXPORTING PROVINCE IN THE AREA.
GIA LAI IS MORE INSULAR, POORER AND HAS A SMALLER FOREIGN
NGO AND BUSINESS PRESENCE.)


6. (C) A GVN SOURCE TOLD A JAPANESE EMBOFF THAT DEPUTY
PRIME MINISTER NGUYEN TAN DUNG AND DEPUTY PM NGUYEN CONG
TAC WERE DISPATCHED TO THE REGION IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE
DEMONSTRATIONS BEGAN TO REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS AND MANAGE
THE GVN'S RESPONSE. (COMMENT: IF TRUE, SUCH HIGH-LEVEL
ATTENTION SIGNALS THE GVN'S PERCEPTION OF THE SERIOUSNESS
OF THE DEMONSTRATIONS AND THE DISCONTENT THEY REFLECT. END
COMMENT.)


7. (SBU) COFFEE TRADERS INFORM FAS THAT NORMAL TRADING AND
MARKETING ACTIVITIES HAVE RESUMED IN THE TWO PROVINCES.
THEY SAY THE TWO CAPITAL CITIES ARE BOTH CALM. DAKLAK IS
THE CENTER FOR ROUGHLY 60 PERCENT OF VIETNAM'S EXPORT
COFFEE CULTIVATION. GIA LAI (NORTH OF DAKLAK) AND LAM DONG
(SOUTH OF DAKLAK) ARE THE NEXT TWO BIGGEST CULTIVATORS.


8. (SBU) THERE ARE NO AMERICAN CITIZENS REGISTERED WITH THE
EMBASSY OR CONSULATE WHO RESIDE IN EITHER DAKLAK OR GIA
LAI. ACCORDING TO THE EXTERNAL RELATIONS OFFICE OF DAKLAK,
HOTELS IN THE PROVINCE ARE STILL CLOSED TO FOREIGNERS AS OF
FEB. 14, AND THEIR OFFICE ADVISES FOREIGNERS TO REFRAIN
FROM TRAVEL TO THE PROVINCE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. (THIS
CONTRADICTS WHAT THE DANES HEARD, BUT IS THE MESSAGE
DELIVERED TO OUR MISSION.)

ROOTS OF THE DEMONSTRATIONS
--------------


9. (C) AS DISCUSSED MORE FULLY REF A, WE CONTINUE TO
BELIEVE THE ROOTS OF THE DEMONSTRATIONS ORIGINATE IN
DISPUTES OVER LAND, HEAVY-HANDED TREATMENT OF PROTESTANT
RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS, AND ONGOING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST
ETHNIC MINORITIES. THE SPARK APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THE
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HARASSMENT OF PROTESTANT HOUSE CHURCH LEADERS IN THE AREA,
THOUGH SMOLDERING RESENTMENT BY MINORITIES OVER THE LOSS OF
THEIR TRADITIONAL LANDS TO ETHNIC VIETNAMESE AND OTHER
MIGRANTS LIKELY WAS FUEL FOR THE FLAMES. EXTREME
IMPOVERISHMENT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, EXACERBATED BY THE
STEEP DROP IN COFFEE PRICES, ALSO WAS A CONTRIBUTING
FACTOR.


10. (SBU) WE HAVE RECEIVED REPORTS OF HARASSMENT OF
PROTESTANTS IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL
MONTHS. IN PARTICULAR, THE HOUSE CHURCHES (OR "VILLAGE
CHURCHES" IN OUTLYING RURAL AREAS) THAT ARE PREDOMINANT IN
ETHNIC MINORITY AREAS COME IN FOR PARTICULAR HARASSMENT.
THIS IS LARGELY BECAUSE THESE CHURCHES FACE A CATCH-22:
THEY ARE NOT OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED AS LEGAL BODIES, AND
THUS MEMBERS COMING TOGETHER FOR PEACEFUL RELIGIOUS
ACTIVITIES ARE CONSIDERED OUTSIDE THE LAW AND SUBJECT TO
HARASSMENT OR ARREST DEPENDING ON THE WHIMS OF LOCAL
OFFICIALS. ALSO, THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PETITION TO
BECOME LEGAL (AS WERE SOME 250 MORE-ESTABLISHED
"EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF VIETNAM" PROTESTANT CHURCHES THAT
WERE RECOGNIZED AS PART OF THE PROTESTANT CHURCH CONFERENCE
THAT CONCLUDED LAST WEEK IN HCMC). RELIGIOUS HARASSMENT IS
ONE OF SEVERAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE TENSIONS IN THE
HIGHLANDS, BUT IT IS ONLY ONE OF SEVERAL. LAND RIGHTS,
SOCIETAL DISCRIMINATION, EXTREME POVERTY AND DESPERATION,
AND THE CAMPAIGN BY SOME HIGHLANDS PEOPLES FOR AUTONOMY ARE
INEXTRICABLY LINKED; ALL OF THESE ARE ROOTS OF THE
TENSIONS.

COMMENT
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11. (C) WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE AFTERMATH OF THE
DEMONSTRATIONS CLOSELY AND THE GVN'S RESPONSE TO WHAT WERE
UNDOUBTEDLY THE BIGGEST DEMONSTRATIONS AND EXPRESSION OF
POPULAR DISCONTENT SINCE THE THAI BINH UPRISING THREE YEARS
AGO. THE AMBASSADOR HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE CONCERNS
REGARDING HUMAN RIGHTS WITH TRADE MINISTER VU KHOAN EARLIER
IN THE WEEK. HE HAS AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS THE
SITUATION IN DAKLAK AND GIA LAI AND OTHER ISSUES WITH VICE
FOREIGN MINISTER BIN EARLY NEXT WEEK. WE RECOGNIZE THE
NEED TO GET A FIRSTHAND ASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION IN THE
HIGHLANDS AND WILL CONTINUE WORKING TO DO SO. END COMMENT.
PETERSON

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