VIETNAM: 2004 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

UNCLAS HANOI 003286 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR S/CT AND EAP/BCLTV E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER VM CTERR SUBJECT: VIETNAM: 2004 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT REF: A. SECSTATE 245841 B. Hanoi 3247 ¶1. (SBU) Vietnam's low-threat terrorist situation did not change in 2004. There is a tiny Muslim population with no known affiliations with international terrorist organizations. There is no evidence that terrorists operate in or transit Vietnam, or that they use Vietnam for other support services such as financing. The Government of Vietnam (GVN) is concerned about what it calls a terrorist threat from ethnic Vietnamese exiles in France and the United States, but neither the U.S. nor the French Governments defines these dissident political activities as terrorism. During 2004, there were no known acts of domestic terrorism or prosecutions for acts of terrorism in Vietnam. There were no known judicial actions in Vietnam during 2004 related to acts of international terrorism. ¶2. (SBU) Vietnam is a party to eight out of twelve of the UN conventions on counterterrorism, and "may soon" accede to two of the remaining conventions, according to UNODC representatives in Hanoi. Vietnam cooperates on counterterrorism initiatives in international forums, in ASEAN-affiliated forums in particular. Senior GVN officials invariably express formal GVN opposition to international terrorist incidents, and the GVN has not publicly supported a terrorist-supporting country on a terrorist-specific issue. The GVN does not support international terrorism, terrorists or terrorist groups. ¶3. (SBU) Vietnam has never been included in the Patterns of Global Terrorism report. No major developments have occurred in 2004 to recommend inclusion this year. ¶4. (U) Reftel B describes the results of Post's recent Counterterrorism Action Group meeting. The meeting focused on ways that international donor assistance to Vietnamese law enforcement can have a secondary impact by improving Vietnam's ability to secure its borders against entry by terrorists. MARINE