ANGRY POPULAR REACTION TO DISSIDENT HOANG MINH

UNCLAS HANOI 003185

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SENSITIVE

DEPT PASS TO EAP/MLS; DRL

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TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM VM HUMANR
SUBJECT: ANGRY POPULAR REACTION TO DISSIDENT HOANG MINH
CHINH'S RETURN TO HANOI


1. (SBU) Dissident Hoang Minh Chinh returned to Hanoi from
Ho Chi Minh City on December 1. The 83-year-old Chinh
informed us late that day that, when he arrived home at
11:30 a.m., he was greeted by a crowd of about 150 men aged
30-50 years old. No one in Chinh's family recognized these
men and, conversing with POL Assistant, Chinh's neighbors
confirmed that none of them were from the surrounding
neighborhood. The men shouted epithets at Chinh and threw
tomatoes and eggs at him as his family tried to protect him
while he made his way into the narrows lane that leads to
his home. He was able to get into his house, but fifty men
forced their way into the lane and a small courtyard in
front of his home and proceeded to break his windows with
sticks and rocks. Once the windows were broken, the men
threw eggs and tomatoes into the home.


2. (SBU) At this point, Chinh told us, he called Pham
Chuyen, the former director of the Hanoi Police and a member
of the National Assembly, but Pham refused to intervene,
allegedly because he had just relinquished his police
duties. Members of Chinh's family then tried to call the
current director, but his staff said he was unavailable.
Chinh's family members also called local police, some of
whom showed up, but they refused to intervene because the
"protesters have the right to express their anger against
Chinh." By 2:45 p.m. the situation deteriorated and, again
according to Chinh, the crowd started "beating" members of
his family, including his son-in-law, sister and cousin (NFI
on the extent of injuries). At this point, some protesters
started to try to break down the door. A bystander wearing
what Chinh described as a police uniform then shouted
"that's enough!" and the crowd dispersed.


3. (SBU) Embassy spoke again with Chinh December 2, and he
said that there had been no further incidents at his
residence. Adding further details to his description of the
previous day's events, Chinh said that at least four
policemen, including a deputy chief, from the metropolitan
"113" quick-deployment task force, were present. However,
they did not intervene, claiming that the protesters were
acting out of frustration with Chinh's anti-GVN statements
while traveling in the United States. Chinh reported that
his neighbors later told him that, before he arrived at
home, uniformed policemen were in the area, in addition to
cameramen who later filmed the protest.


4. (SBU) Poloff discussed this incident at some length on
December 2 with a sophisticated MFA officer who is also a
staunch Communist Party member. The MFA officer questioned
the significance of the claimed violence and said that an
"angry reaction" to Chinh's return was predictable. Chinh,
he stressed, had gone to extremes not just in his criticism
of the Communist Party (which most Vietnamese take in
stride) but also in what the Vietnamese public perceived as
insults to relatively recent national heroes. This had
"embarrassed" the nation, which enraged patriotic
Vietnamese. (Note: Our urbane, U.S.-educated MFA contact
was quite emotional on this subject, saying that Chinh "spit
on my father and grandfather." This level of intensity was
unprecedented in our long association with him. End Note.)


5. (SBU) Poloff noted that the GVN's forbearance in not
arresting Chinh for having made anti-regime statements had
been noticed in human rights communities around the world,
and added that the Hanoi police had failed to carry out
their duties when they allowed the mob to veer into
violence. How the GVN treats those who committed those
illegal acts of violence would NOW be carefully watched,
Poloff continued, as an indicator of whether the violence
was supported by the Government. The MFA officer conceded
the point, but noted that the GVN's decision not to arrest
or prosecute Chinh for his crimes would be tougher to
sustain if it brought charges against those who were
protesting his actions.


6. (SBU) The Ambassador raised this incident with VFM Le Van
Bang December 2 during the latter's meeting with Congressman
Chris Smith (reported septel).

MARINE