NEW SLATE OF HCMC LEADERS WILL STAY THE COURSE

UNCLAS HO CHI MINH CITY 000616 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD/JMARTIN STATE ALSO FOR INR/EAP/SEA, INR/IL/B AND ECA/PE/V CINCPAC FOR FPA NSC FOR GCHRISTY SECDEF FOR ISA/EA/LSTERN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HO CHI 00616 222120Z DEPTTREAS FOR AJEWELL USDOC FOR 4431/MAC/AP/OKSA/HPPHO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR VM DPOL SUBJECT: NEW SLATE OF HCMC LEADERS WILL STAY THE COURSE REF: A. HCMC 0562 B. HCMC 0438 ¶1. REF A REPORTED THAT LE THANH HAI, FIRST VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE, WAS ONE OF TWO FRONT RUNNERS TO REPLACE VO VIET THANH FOR THE JOB OF CHAIRMAN OF THE PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE. ON MAY 18, IN AN IRREGULAR SESSION OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COUNCIL, HAI WAS SELECTED THE NEW CHAIRMAN. THE MAY 19 EDITION OF THE DAILY "TUOI TRE" ("YOUTH") REPORTED THAT HAI GAINED 91 PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE'S COUNCIL VOTES AND THAT NO OTHER CANDIDATE WAS NOMINATED. HE WILL SERVE OUT THE REMAINING REGULAR TERM OF THE CHAIRMANSHIP, WHICH BEGAN IN 1999 AND WILL END IN ¶2004. ¶2. REF B REPORTED THAT LE THANH HAI WAS COMMUNIST PARTY SECRETARY FOR HCMC'S PROSPEROUS DISTRICT 5, MUCH OF WHICH SIPDIS FORMED PART OF OLD CHOLON (CHINATOWN),DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF "DOI MOI" FROM 1986 TO 1996. HAI WAS BORN IN 1950 IN THE MEKONG DELTA. HE HOLDS AN M.A. IN ECONOMICS AND A B.A. IN LITERATURE. HE IS MARRIED AND HAS TWO CHILDREN. HE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THE PROGRESSIVE POLICIES OF THANH, BUT MAY BE A BLANDER PROPONENT OF PROGRESSIVE POLICIES THAN WAS HIS PREDECESSOR THANH. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HO CHI 00616 222120Z ¶3. THREE NEW PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRMEN WERE ALSO SELECTED AT THE SPECIAL SESSION. MS. HUYNH THI NHAN IS 49 YEARS OLD, HOLDS B.A.S IN LAW, POLITICS AND ECONOMICS, AND IS CURRENTLY DIRECTOR OF HCMC DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND PRICING. NGUYEN THANH TAI IS 49 YEARS OLD, HOLDS B.A.S IN ECONOMICS AND LITERATURE, AND IS CURRENTLY CHIEF OF STAFF AT THE OFFICE OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE. MAI QUOC BINH IS 50 YEARS OLD, HOLDS A PH.D. IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, AND IS A MEMBER OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE. HE PARTICIPATED IN AN INTERNATIONAL VISITORS PROGRAM ON ETHICS IN BUSINESS IN 1999. HIS MAIN DUTY THE PAST TWO YEARS HAS BEEN TO HEAD HCMC'S EFFORTS AT ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM. THE PORTFOLIOS OF THE NEW VICE- CHAIRMEN HAVE NOT YET BEEN ANNOUNCED. ¶4. VO VIET THANH, WHO WAS FIRST SELECTED ACTING CHAIRMAN OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE IN 1996, HAD BEEN THREATENING TO RESIGN FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS, FRUSTRATED WITH HANOI'S SLOW MOVEMENT ON ECONOMIC REFORM. AT THE AGE OF 58, IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THANH WILL SEEK ANOTHER GOVERNMENT POSITION. THE DEPARTING PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRMEN ARE 49-YEAR-OLD MS. PHAM PHUONG THAO, WHO WAS RECENTLY ASSIGNED TO HEAD THE HCMC COMMUNIST PARTY COMMISSION ON IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE (THAO CONTINUES TO HOLD HER SEAT ON THE 15-MEMBER STANDING BOARD OF THE HCMC COMMUNIST PARTY COMMITTEE),AND 60-YEAR-OLD TRAN NGOC CON, WHO WAS NOT ASSIGNED ANOTHER POSITION AND WILL PROBABLY RETIRE. COMMENT -------------- UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HO CHI 00616 222120Z ¶5. AS MENTIONED, THE SELECTION OF HAI AS HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN CAME AS NO SURPRISE. THE THREE NEW VICE-CHAIRMEN ARE NOT VERY WELL KNOWN TO POST, BUT DO NOT APPEAR TO PORTEND ANY GREAT CHANGE. THERE WAS ONLY A BRIEF MENTION OF THE HCMC PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE CHANGES IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS, AND "TUOI TRE" WAS THE ONLY VIETNAMESE VERNACULAR DAILY TO CARRY THE CHANGES AS ITS LEAD STORY. POST EXPECTS NO REAL DEPARTURE FROM THE PREVIOUS CITY ADMINISTRATION'S COURSE; APPARENTLY, THE VIETNAMESE MEDIA THOUGHT THERE WAS LITTLE NEWS IN THE CHANGES EITHER. RAY UNCLASSIFIED