VIETNAM OFFERS AMNESTY TO SIX RELIGIOUS PRISONERS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000956

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SUBJECT: VIETNAM OFFERS AMNESTY TO SIX RELIGIOUS PRISONERS

Reftels: A) Hanoi 254, B) HCMC 106


1. (SBU) The MFA informed us April 26 that Vietnam will
offer amnesties to six individuals whom the United States
had highlighted as cases of concern for religious reasons.
In addition, Mennonite Le Thi Hong Lien, for whom we had
requested the GVN provide appropriate medical care, will
also be given an amnesty. No high-profile political
prisoners were included in this special round of amnesties,
which will mark the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's
reunification on April 30 (a total of 7820 people are to
receive amnesties on this occasion). Presenting the amnesty
list to the DCM, Assistant Foreign Minister and Americas
Department Director Nguyen Duc Hung asked that we "tell
Washington that Vietnam is cooperating in good faith with
the United States on religion and CPC issues." The MFA did
not provide information on whether any American citizens are
included in the amnesty, which will officially be announced
on April 27. (Note: We will follow up on this matter. End
note.)


2. (U) Five of the six prisoners are ethnic H'mong
Protestants from the Northwest Highlands who had been
imprisoned for reasons related to their faith. The sixth is
Catholic Pastor Pham Minh Tri, a.k.a. Pham Ngoc Lien, who
was imprisoned in 1987. We have previously received
conflicting information on Pastor Tri. In September 2004,
the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington indicated to the
Department that he had been released in March 2004. In
February 2005, however, amnestied Buddhist monk Thich Thien
Minh reported that Pastor Tri was still imprisoned and
suffering from dementia.


3. (SBU) Comment: While not wiping the slate clean, the
amnesties show an effort by the GVN to be responsive to our
requests on religious freedom. The releases significantly
shorten our list of religious prisoners in Vietnam. End
Comment.


4. (U) List of amnesty recipients:

-- Father Pham Minh Tri (Pham Ngoc Lien): Member of the
Order of the Mother Co-Redemptrix. Pastor Tri was arrested
in 1987 and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for
"sabotaging the national unity policy." His sentence was
commuted by 24 months and was set to expire in March 2005.
The GVN said he was released in March 2004, but another
prisoner alleged that he remained in prison. Pastor Tri is
reported to be suffering from dementia.

-- Vang Mi Ly: Protestant church leader from Hoang Su Phi
District, Ha Giang Province. Quang was arrested in December
2003 and sentenced to 26 months in prison for helping to
organize "gatherings that caused public disorder" after
arranging unauthorized religious services.

-- Ly Xin Quang: Protestant church leader from Hoang Su Phi
District, Ha Giang Province. Quang was arrested in December
2003 and sentenced to 26 months in prison for helping to
organize "gatherings that caused public disorder" after
arranging unauthorized religious services.

-- Vang Chin Sang: Protestant church leader from Hoang Su
Phi District, Ha Giang Province. Quang was arrested in
December 2003 and sentenced to 36 months in prison for
helping to organize "gatherings that caused public disorder"
after arranging unauthorized religious services.

-- Ly Chin Seng: Protestant church leader from Hoang Su Phi
District, Ha Giang Province. Quang was arrested in December
2003 and sentenced to 36 months in prison for helping to
organize "gatherings that caused public disorder" after
arranging unauthorized religious services.

-- Mua A Chau (Ma A Chau): Hmong Protestant from Lai Chau
Province. Chau was detained on March 5, 2003, after an
altercation with police officers. On June 18, 2003, he was
found guilty of "resisting a person carrying out official
duties" and sentenced to 36 months in prison. Chau's family
alleged that Chau frequently had been harassed and was
imprisoned as a result of his faith.

-- Le Thi Hong Lien (Ref B): One of six Mennonites arrested
in June 2004 and sentenced by a court in Ho Chi Minh City
for "resisting persons in the performance of their official
duties," stemming from an altercation with police in March

2004. She was sentenced to one year in prison. During her
incarceration, Lien apparently began to suffer from mental
difficulties. The Ambassador and Consul General interceded
with Vietnamese authorities to ensure that she was provided
adequate mental health care while in prison. The Mission
does not consider Lien a prisoner of conscience, however.
MARINE