NOTES ON FATHER NGUYEN VAN LY FROM OFFICIAL VIETNAMESE MEDIA SOURCES

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000260 SIPDIS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HO CHI 00260 120151Z STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD/JMARTIN STATE ALSO FOR DRL/IRF STATE ALSO FOR INR/EAP/SEA AND INR/IL/B CINCPAC FOR FPA SECDEF FOR ISA/EA/LSTERN DEPTTREAS FOR AJEWELL NSC FOR GENE CHRISTY USDOC FOR 4431/MAC/AP/OKSA/HPPHO ROME PLEASE PASS VATICAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KIRF PINR VM HUMANR RELFREE SUBJECT: NOTES ON FATHER NGUYEN VAN LY FROM OFFICIAL VIETNAMESE MEDIA SOURCES ¶1. SUMMARY: FATHER NGUYEN VAN LY SUBMITTED WRITTEN TESTIMONY HIGHLY CRITICAL OF THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT TO THE COMMISSION FOR INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, WHICH HELD HEARINGS IN WASHINGTON ON FEBRUARY 13. FATHER LY HAS SINCE BEEN PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST AND HAS BEEN THE TARGET OF EXTREMELY CHARGED ARTICLES IN THE VIETNAMESE MEDIA. TWO ARTICLES, ONE IN NHAN DAN AND THE OTHER IN TUOI TRE, BOTH DATED MARCH 8, INCLUDE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND OTHER INFORMATION ON HIS RECENT PROBLEMS WITH THE GOVERNMENT, SOME OF WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN TO POST. FOLLOWING ARE NOTES EXTRACTED FROM THESE ARTICLES THAT MAY BE USEFUL BACKGROUND FOR THOSE READERS FOLLOWING THIS ISSUE. END SUMMARY. ¶2. NGUYEN VAN LY WAS BORN IN 1946 IN QUANG TRI PROVINCE. HE GRADUATED FROM HUE GRAND SEMINARY IN 1974, AND LATER UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HO CHI 00260 120151Z THAT YEAR BECAME A SECRETARY OF THE HUE ARCHBISHOP'S OFFICE. IN SEPTEMBER 1977, HE WAS ARRESTED FOR DISSEMINATING DOCUMENTS WITH ANTI-REVOLUTIONARY CONTENT. HE WAS NOT PROSECUTED AT THAT TIME, HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH HE WAS DISMISSED FROM THE ARCHBISHOP'S OFFICE AND TRANSFERRED TO DOC SO PARISH IN HUE CITY. FATHER LY WAS ARRESTED AGAIN AND SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IMPRISONMENT ON DECEMBER 9, 1983. (NOTE: THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES SAY HE WAS DISMISSED FROM DOC SO PARISH IN 1981 - THIS MAY BE THE YEAR HE WAS ARRESTED.) ¶3. HAVING SERVED HIS TERM IN PRISON, FATHER LY RETURNED TO THE HUE ARCHBISHOP'S OFFICE. ON NOVEMBER 24, 1994, HE DISTRIBUTED A DOCUMENT CLAIMING GOVERNMENT REPRESSION OF RELIGION. THE ARTICLES THEN SAY "THE PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE OF THAU THIEN-HUE PROVINCE DECIDED TO FORCE HIM TO RESIDE IN... PHUONG DUC PARISH, HUE CITY." ¶4. ON NOVEMBER 10, 2000, FATHER LY WAS AT THE CENTER OF A CONFRONTATION REGARDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN IRRIGATION WORK NEAR THE CHURCH. THE ARTICLES SAY, "WHEN THE LOCAL ADMINISTRATION INVITED HIM TO ITS OFFICE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM RELATING TO THE LOCAL SECURITY AND ORDER, HE TORE UP THE INVITATION PAPER IN THE FACE OF THE LOCAL CADRE." ¶5. FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT, FATHER LY WAS TRANSFERRED TO AN TRUYEN PARISH IN PHU VANG DISTRICT, A COASTAL DISTRICT OF THUA THIEN-HUE PROVINCE, JUST EAST OF HUE CITY. INSIDE THE CHURCH COMPOUND, FATHER LY HUNG BANNERS WITH SLOGANS SAYING "WE DEMAND FREEDOM" AND "FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR DEATH." UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HO CHI 00260 120151Z ¶6. THE ARTICLES THEN GO ON TO REPORT INTERVIEWS OF PEOPLE FROM THE DISTRICT WHO ARE QUOTED DENOUNCING FATHER LY AND HIS ANTI-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. THE ABOVE PROVIDES SOME BACKGROUND INTO FATHER LY'S ENCOUNTERS WITH THE GOVERNMENT WHICH HAVE LED UP TO HIS RECENT HOUSE ARREST. THE ATTENTION BEING GIVEN TO THE PRIEST AND THE VICIOUSNESS OF THE JOURNALISTIC ATTACKS ON HIM DEMONSTRATE THE GVN'S HEIGHTENED SENSITIVITIES IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE PARTY CONGRESS AND THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE TURBULENCE IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. RAY NOTE: NOT PASSED TO ABOVE ADDRESSEE(S) UNCLASSIFIED