NEW ACTIVIST COMES UNDER POLICE SCRUTINY

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 000685 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2015 TAGS: PREL PHUM VM HUMANR CVR SUBJECT: NEW ACTIVIST COMES UNDER POLICE SCRUTINY REF: A. HO CHI MINH CITY 169 ¶B. 04 HANOI 3046 Classified By: Consul General Seth Winnick for reason 1.4 (d) This is a Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City cable transferred to Hanoi to transmit on the classified system. ¶1. (C) Summary: Do Nam Hai, better known by his pseudonym of Phuong Nam, became known to us as an emerging Vietnamese dissident after he posted an open letter in December 2004 protesting official harassment for advocating peaceful democratic change in Vietnam. Hai has since been fired from his job and faces possible arrest. In addition to his calls for the end of one-party rule and his association with other dissidents, Hai's critique of the GVN's China policy triggered tougher police action against him. Hai's case highlights how the internet is offering the Vietnamese greater opportunity to exchange political and social views under the radar of the Party. End Summary. Birth of a Dissident -------------- ¶2. (C) In a series of phone and text-message conversations over the past three months, 46-year old Do Nam Hai (strictly protect),better known by his pseudonym Phuong Nam, described how he has emerged as a budding democracy activist in Vietnam. Hai told us that he began his political activity while living in Australia. Between June 2000 and August 2001, Hai posted on the internet five essays critical of one-party rule using his pseudonym. ¶3. (C) In early 2002, Hai decided to return to Vietnam. He had no problem with GVN authorities upon his return. Hai accepted a position as a marketing and customer relations expert with Saigon Commercial Joint Stock Bank, a state-owned financial institution. Hai told us that once in Vietnam he quietly continued his pro-democracy activities via a password-protected international email account, which later served as an on-line discussion forum for invited participants. He did not post any further pro-democracy essays on the Internet until late 2004. ¶4. (C) It appears that Hai was able to operate under the police radar until April 2004, when he began to associate with known dissidents. In April, he met with Professor Nguyen Thanh Giang (Ref. B),a geophysicist and prominent dissident who was arrested in 1998 for possessing documents critical of the Communist Party. Another dissident, Ha Sy ;Phu, introduced the two via the Internet. They met in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. ¶5. (C) Hai believes that after these meetings, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) began to investigate. This scrutiny, he believes, led to his first encounter with the police, on August 6, 2004. Local HCMC police detained Hai for 48 hours and questioned him about his political activities; somehow police also were able to link Hai to the articles he wrote in Australia under his pseudonym. Police took no further action against Hai at that time. ¶6. (C) In October 2004, Hai was interviewed by Radio Free Asia, and called for a national referendum on one-party rule in Vietnam. On December 3, HCMC police detained Hai for 24 hours and forced him to surrender his computer. On December 10, 2004, Hai circulated via the Internet an open letter protesting his harassment and again calling for a referendum. Hai told us that he used a local HCMC Internet kiosk to upload the letter. Hai refused to meet with ConGenOffs, explaining that such a meeting would compromise "the image of an independent patriot, acting only in the interests of Vietnam." Hai told us that he believed by going public and being completely transparent about his views, authorities would view him as less of a threat. Subsequently, however, Hai said that police stepped up pressure both on his family and on his employer. On December 21, the Chairman of SCB urged Hai to desist from actions that would cause problems with MPS. ¶7. (C) On New Year's Day, 2005, Hai was interviewed by "Vietnam New Horizon Radio," which is based in Germany and critical of the GVN. On 18 January, an MPS Colonel ordered that Hai present himself at his local police station to "scrutinize the contents of his computer." Hai did not comply and instead posted another letter critical of the police. In early February, Hai conducted a written interview with the publisher of "SaigonUSA," a bi-weekly newspaper for the Viet Kieu community in southern California. In that interview, Hai's criticisms were sharper; he attacked Party corruption, and alleged GVN subservience to China in border negotiations. Hai compared GVN officials to historical Vietnamese figures who are vilified for colluding with the Chinese Empire. Hai told us that at this time he also traveled to Hanoi to meet with Hoang Minh Chinh, another prominent dissident. ¶8. (C) In late February, Hai was ordered to meet with the bank chairman. The chairman reportedly lambasted Hai for his anti-GVN activity, focusing particularly on his anti-China statements. The Chairman told Hai that his recently renewed contract had been "withdrawn," and gave Hai two hours to clear his desk. Following his dismissal a young lawyer, with whom Hai had corresponded on democracy issues, conveyed a police threat that if Hai did not stop his pro-democracy activities, the authorities would take stronger action against him. On March 5, Hai conducted another interview with Vietnam New Horizon radio, the transcript of which was posted on the Internet. He attacked Vietnam's one-party state for its corruption and claimed that the recent release of dissidents such as Nguyen Dan Que was a GVN ploy to ease international pressure as it seeks WTO accession. He also cited the January 8 maritime border incident between Vietnam and China (in which nine Vietnamese fisherman were killed) as evidence that the GVN is "very weak at protecting its people and territory, yet very strong at oppressing democratic voices." ¶9. (C) Comment: We spoke with Hai on March 10, five days after his latest broadside against the Communist Party. Police have not yet acted, although he anticipates that harsher action against him is imminent. Hai says he is undeterred and says he will continue with his dissident activities. It is noteworthy that Hai's criticism of how Vietnam manages its relationship with China, perhaps even more than his calls for the end of one-party rule and association with known dissidents, triggered intensified police action against him. ¶10. (C) From time to time we see glimpses of Vietnamese disgruntlement with the extent of official corruption and the Party's monopoly on political power. Vietnamese do grumble, but only do so within a trusted circle of friends and family to avoid attracting police attention. Hai's use of the Internet highlights how technology is facilitating greater exchange of ideas between private Vietnamese. For example on March 10 Hai told us that a college-aged woman from Lam Dong Province contacted him after reading his essays on the Internet. She has since had difficulties with police both in Hanoi, where she went to visit with other prominent dissidents, and in her hometown in Lam Dong Province. End comment. Boardman NNNN