CENTRAL COMMITTEE OUSTS TWO MEMBERS

UNCLAS HANOI 001795 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINS SOCI VM DPOL SUBJECT: CENTRAL COMMITTEE OUSTS TWO MEMBERS REF: A. FBIS SEP20020716000011 B. HANOI 1780 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: AT THE CONCLUSION OF ITS SIXTH PLENUM ON JULY 15, THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM (CPV) CENTRAL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 01795 161049Z COMMITTEE (CC) ANNOUNCED THE DISMISSAL OF TWO OF ITS MEMBERS -- VICE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY LIEUTENANT GENERAL BUI QUOC HUY AND DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE VOICE OF VIETNAM TRAN MAI HANH -- FOR ALLEGED "LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY" OVER AND INVOLVEMENT IN THE NAM CAM ORGANIZED CRIME CASE. THE CC ALSO RECOMMENDED TO THE GOVERNMENT THAT THE TWO BE FORMALLY DISMISSED FROM THEIR GOVERNMENT POSITIONS AS WELL. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) THE FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE JULY 4-15 SIXTH PLENUM DISCUSSED AT LENGTH THE REASON FOR THE DISMISSALS FROM THE CC OF GENERAL HUY AND DG HANH. IT NOTED THAT HUY, AS THEN-HO CHI MINH CITY POLICE CHIEF, "DID NOT FULFILL HIS TASKS" AND "WAS IRRESPONSIBLE IN LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND USE OF CADRES, THUS LETTING THEM BECOME CO-OFFENDERS IN THE TRUONG NAM CAM CASE." HANH HELPED "TO RELEASE UNTRUE AND IRRESPONSIBLE INFORMATION," AND ALSO "VIOLATED THE PRESS LAW TO DEFEND TRUONV VAN CAM." BOTH HUY AND HANH WERE ALSO BLAMED WITH HAVING MAINTAINING RELATIONS WITH A NUMBER OF "BAD ELEMENTS" OVER A LONG TIME. ¶3. (U) THE CC RECOMMENDED THAT THE GVN RELIEVE HUY OF HIS VICE MINISTERIAL POSITION AS WELL AS DEMOTE HIM FROM LIEUTENANT GENERAL TO MAJOR GENERAL. IT SIMILARLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE GVN REMOVE HANH OFFICIALLY FROM HIS POST AS DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE VOICE OF VIETNAM AND THAT THE VIETNAM JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION DROP HIM AS VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL SECRETARY. IN MAY, HANH HAD BEEN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED FROM THOSE POSTS AS WELL AS FORCED TO RESIGN AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, FOLLOWING A POLITBURO RECOMMENDATION. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HANOI 01795 161049Z ¶4. (U) SOME PRESS REPORTS NOTED THAT HUY WAS ONE OF THE VERY FEW HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIALS TO BE DISMISSED FOR "LACK OF SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY," AND COMMENTED HOW COVERAGE OF HIS AND HANH'S CASES CONTRASTED WITH THE DISMISSAL OF THEN- DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NGO XUON LOC OVER ALLEGED FRAUD IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A HANOI WATER PARK IN THE LATE 1990S. SOME MEDIA COMMENTARY CLAIMED THAT THE CPV WAS TRYING TO PORTRAY ITS HANDLING OF HANH, HUY, AND OTHERS IN THE NAM CAM CASE AS AN EXAMPLE OF ITS DETERMINATION TO COMBAT CORRUPTION AND OTHER KINDS OF SOCIAL EVILS THAT HAVE BEEN "JEOPARDIZING THE ETHICS" OF MANY CIVIL SERVANTS. ¶5. (U) SPEAKING AT THE PLENUM, CPV GENERAL SECRETARY NONG DUC MANH ADMITTED THAT SOME SENIOR OFFICIALS HAD BEEN "BOUGHT," EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY SHOWN "REVOLUTIONARY FIRMNESS" AND HAD MADE "MANY CONTRIBUTIONS DURING WARTIME." MANH STRESSED THAT CADRES "AT ALL ECHELONS" MUST FOLLOW PARTY STATUTES AND STATE LAWS. ¶6. (U) OFFICIAL MEDIA COVERAGE ALSO NOTED THAT THE PLENUM'S DISCUSSIONS ON PARTY DISCIPLINE HAD BEEN HELD IN A "HIGHLY DEMOCRATIC AND CANDID ATMOSPHERE." ¶7. (U) COMMENT: IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE PLENUM WAS PERHAPS LIVELIER THAN THE NORM AND THAT THE CPV DECIDED TO OFFER UP SOME SACRIFICIAL LAMBS IN ORDER TO TRY TO CONVINCE THE PUBLIC THAT THE CPV IS SERIOUS ABOUT COMBATING CORRUPTION WITHIN ITS SENIOR RANKS. WHAT REMAINS UNCLEAR IS WHETHER THE HUNT FOR CULPRITS IN THE NAM CAM AND OTHER SENSITIVE CASES HAS CONCLUDED WITH THESE DISMISSALS OR UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HANOI 01795 161049Z WHETHER OTHER HIGH-LEVEL VICTIMS WILL FOLLOW. IT REMAINS UNLIKELY, HOWEVER, THAT THE CPV WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERTAKE A CREDIBLE AND THOROUGH INVESTIGATION OF THIS CASE TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. BURGHARDT UNCLASSIFIED