HOW NOT TO MAKE FRIENDS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000579 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL/RF DEPARTMENT PASS TO USCIRF SECDEF FOR ABLAGG E.O. 12958: DECL 03/14/2012 TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV SOCI VM RELFREE HUMANR SUBJECT: HOW NOT TO MAKE FRIENDS REF: A. HANOI 432 B. HANOI 443 ¶C. VIENTIANE 235 ¶1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY RAYMOND F. BURGHARDT, AMBASSADOR; REASON 1.5(D) CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HANOI 00579 01 OF 02 140555Z ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: GVN ACTIONS HINDERED CONTACT BETWEEN RELIGIOUS LEADERS IT DID NOT HAND PICK AND THE U.S. COMMISSION FOR INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM'S (USCIRF) DELEGATION. CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING A PACKED ITINERARY, SELECTIVE COMPLIANCE WITH SCHEDULE CHANGE REQUESTS, PLAINCLOTHES TAILS, AND POORLY EXPLAINED DETOURS, COMBINED TO MAKE UNOFFICIAL MEETINGS DIFFICULT. THE GVN'S ESSENTIALLY UNDISGUISED EFFORTS TO CONTROL THE DELEGATION LEFT A WORSE IMPRESSION OF VIETNAM THAN THE CONTENTS OF THE MEETINGS THE GVN SEEMS TO HAVE FEARED SO MUCH. END SUMMARY. PLAYING GAMES WITH THE SCHEDULE -------------- ¶3. (C) DESPITE USCIRF REQUESTS IN WRITING, SENT BEFORE THE DELEGATION LEFT THE UNITED STATES, THEIR VIETNAMESE HOSTS, THE VIETNAM - USA SOCIETY, AN OFFICE OF THE VIETNAM UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS (VUFO),REFUSED TO ELIMINATE ANY OF THE 26 ENGAGEMENTS IT SCHEDULED OVER FIVE DAYS. VUFO ALSO REBUFFED A SERIES OF ORAL REQUESTS TO STREAMLINE THE SCHEDULE MADE BY THE DELEGATION, POLOFF, AND (SEPTEL) CONGEN POLOFF. ON FEBRUARY 22, TRAN VAN DANG, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE VIETNAM FATHERLAND FRONT, VUFO'S SIPDIS PARENT ORGANIZATION, "CONGRATULATED" THE DELEGATION ON ITS "ABUNDANT" SCHEDULE, BUT SAID THAT IT WOULD BE TOO COMPLICATED TO CHANGE. LATER, IN AN ASIDE TO POLOFF, THE DELEGATION'S HOST, HOANG CONG THUY, GENERAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HANOI 00579 01 OF 02 140555Z SECRETARY OF THE VIETNAM - USA SOCIETY, SAID THAT HIS SIPDIS BOSS HAD TOLD HIM THERE COULD BE NO CHANGES. VUFO DID COMPLY WITH AN EARLY REQUEST THAT THE DELEGATION TRIED TO REVERSE AFTER IT REALIZED THAT THE CHANGE MEANT AT LEAST TWO HOURS OF EXTRA TRAVEL TIME. VUFO REFUSED TO REVERSE THE CHANGE, DESPITE CONGENOFF'S OFFER TO MAKE THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS. CONFRONTED WITH THIS INTRACTABLE SCHEDULE, THE DELEGATION DECIDED IT WOULD HAVE TO SPLIT UP TO MEET INDIVIDUALS OUTSIDE ITS OFFICIAL SCHEDULE AT THE SAME TIME AS OFFICIAL MEETINGS. THEY ALSO DECIDED TO SIMPLY REFUSE TO ATTEND EVENTS THEY HAD ASKED VUFO TO CANCEL. MOTORBIKE TAILS -------------- ¶4. (C) THE DELEGATION HAD TWO UNOFFICIAL MEETINGS (SEPTEL/REF D) IN HANOI, BUT PLAINCLOTHESMEN ON MOTORBIKES FOLLOWED THE DELEGATION'S EMBASSY VEHICLE TO BOTH. THE FIRST MEETING, ON FEBRUARY 21, WAS AT ONE PILLAR PAGODA NEAR HO CHI MINH'S MAUSOLEUM. TWO PLAINCLOTHESMEN DISMOUNTED FROM THEIR MOTORBIKES AND FOLLOWED THE DELEGATION AND ACCOMPANYING EMBOFFS ONTO THE PAGODA'S GROUNDS ON FOOT. THE DELEGATION SPOKE WITH A MONK IN ONE OF THE PAGODA'S PUBLIC ROOMS FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. EACH PLAINCLOTHESMEN CAME IN ONCE FOR A FEW MINUTES AT A TIME, OSTENSIBLY TO PRAY AND MAKE AN OFFERING WHILE STANDING CLOSE ENOUGH TO EAVESDROP EASILY. THE MONK, RECOUNTING PROBLEMS WITH THE DISTRICT GOVERNMENT (SEPTEL/REF D),SEEMED TO PAY LITTLE ATTENTION TO THE LISTENERS. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HANOI 00579 01 OF 02 140555Z ANOTHER TAIL AND THE PHONE CALL THAT SAID IT ALL -------------- --- ¶5. (C) ON FEBRUARY 22, USCIRF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVEN MCFARLAND, ANALYST JOHN TAI, AND EMBOFFS PAID A CALL ON PASTOR VINH OF THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF VIETNAM (ECVN). PLAINCLOTHESMEN IN TOW, THE DELEGATION AND EMBOFFS DROPPED BY PASTOR VINH'S CHURCH ON FEBRUARY 20 TO TRY TO MEET WITH HIM. PASTOR VINH ASKED THAT THEY SEND A WRITTEN REQUEST FOR A MEETING. THE DELEGATION COMPLIED AND HE CALLED TO ACCEPT THAT AFTERNOON. AFTER THE DELEGATION AND EMBOFFS RETURNED TO THE CHURCH ON FEBRUARY 22, PASTOR VINH SAID THAT THE POLICE HAD CONTACTED HIM IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DELEGATION LEFT ON FEBRUARY 20 AND ASKED HIM WHAT HE HAD DISCUSSED WITH THE DELEGATION. HE SAID THAT HE HAD NOT SAID ANYTHING TO THE DELEGATION, BUT TOLD THE POLICE THAT HE INTENDED TO MEET WITH THE DELEGATION BEFORE SUNDAY. A MAN AND A WOMAN ON A MOTORBIKE FOLLOWED THE DELEGATION FROM THEIR HOTEL TO THE ECVN CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2031 PAGE 01 HANOI 00579 02 OF 02 140555Z ACTION EAP-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DS-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 SS-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /002W -------------- 744461 140555Z /38 P 140529Z MAR 02 FM AMEMBASSY HANOI TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5776 INFO SECDEF WASHDC AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 000579 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL/RF DEPARTMENT PASS TO USCIRF SECDEF FOR ABLAGG CHURCH ON FEBRUARY 22 AND APPARENTLY WAITED OUTSIDE THE CHURCH GATE DURING THE MEETING. ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES INTO THE MEETING MR. THUY OF THE VIETNAM - USA SOCIETY CALLED POLOFF'S CELL PHONE. AFTER ASKING AMONG OTHER THINGS, POLOFF'S LOCATION, THUY, SOUNDING CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HANOI 00579 02 OF 02 140555Z SOMEWHAT STRAINED, SAID, "MEETINGS OUTSIDE THE OFFICIAL SCHEDULE ARE NOT HIGHLY APPRECIATED," AND HUNG UP. THE HOST AS PEST -------------- ¶6. (C) THUY SUBSEQUENTLY ASKED POLOFF ON TWO OR THREE OCCASIONS IF THERE WERE GOING TO BE "OTHER" OUTSIDE MEETINGS, ONCE WINKING AT POLOFF. ON FEBRUARY 23, WHILE THE DELEGATION WAS IN HUE, THUY AGAIN CALLED POLOFF TO ASK FOR CONGEN POLOFF'S PHONE NUMBER (EVEN THOUGH HE ALMOST CERTAINLY HAD IT). AT ABOUT THAT TIME, CONGEN POLOFF AND PART OF THE DELEGATION WERE AWOL FROM AN OFFICIAL DINNER (SEPTEL). WE WANT TO KEEP AN EYE ON YOU; WILL YOU PAY FOR IT? -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) THUY AND POLOFF HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHETHER THE DELEGATION WOULD USE A GVN PROVIDED VEHICLE OR EMBASSY AND CONGEN VEHICLES, PARTICULARLY FOR A TRIP FROM HO CHI MINH CITY TO AN GIANG PROVINCE. THUY PERSISTENTLY PUSHED FOR VUFO TO PROVIDE ALL THE VEHICLES NEEDED TO ACCOMMODATE THE DELEGATION, EMBASSY TRANSLATOR, CONGEN STAFF, AND VUFO'S TWO HANDLERS. HE EXPRESSED NO INTEREST IN CONGEN'S OFFER TO PROVIDE TWO VEHICLES, EVEN THOUGH HE AND HIS VUFO SUPERIORS REPEATEDLY ASKED, FIRST THE DELEGATION, THEN THE EMBASSY, IF THEY WOULD PAY VUFO'S TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR THE TRIP. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HANOI 00579 02 OF 02 140555Z THE FIASCO MOVES SOUTH -------------- ¶7. (C) SEPTEL DETAILS THE GVN'S MISHANDLING OF THE USCIRF DELEGATION IN HUE, AN GIANG, AND HO CHI MINH CITY. POLICE CONFINED AT LEAST TWO INDIVIDUALS TO THEIR HOMES TEMPORARILY. TWO OTHERS REPORTEDLY LOST PHONE SERVICE AFTER AGREEING TO MEET USCIRF. WITH THE DELEGATION IN A CONGEN VEHICLE AND VUFO IN ANOTHER, VARIOUS EXASPERATING CIRCUMSTANCES PROLONGED THE TRIP TO AND FROM AN GIANG. POLICE GATHERED CONSPICUOUSLY OUTSIDE PLACES WHERE THE DELEGATION HAD OR MIGHT HAVE HAD UNOFFICIAL MEETINGS, INCLUDING THE CONSUL GENERAL'S RESIDENCE. FINALLY, VUFO'S THUY BECAME INCREASINGLY UNPLEASANT AS THE VISIT WORE ON. ¶8. (U) THE USCIRF DELEGATION WAS UNABLE TO REVIEW THIS CABLE BEFORE THEY DEPARTED VIETNAM. BURGHARDT CONFIDENTIAL