Update on Prisoners of Concern; Prisoner Tran Van

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000510 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT PASS TO EAP/MLS; DRL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV VM SUBJECT: Update on Prisoners of Concern; Prisoner Tran Van Luong Reportedly Committed Suicide Last Year Ref: Orona-Jensen/Knapper E-mail (3/3/06) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: A passing reference during the recent U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue to the suicide of one of our prisoners of concern led to several confusing exchanges with the MFA and the eventual confirmation that Tran Van Luong, the former Director of Vietnam's Center for Applied Physics, killed himself in April 2005. The confusion was likely partially caused by the presence of two Tran Van Luong's on previous prisoner lists and the amnesty of one of them in September 2005. The MFA confirmed that VFM Le Van Bang misspoke in Washington when he noted that the other Tran Van Luong would soon complete his sentence and be released. Based on this new information, and provided prisoner Do Van My is released as planned, our list of prisoners of concern will have four names: Pham Hong Son, Nguyen Vu Binh, Phan Van Ban and Ma Van Bay. Separately, the last of the Mennonite Six, Pham Ngoc Thach, was released on March 3 at the completion of his sentence. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) During the recent U.S.-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue (septel),Tran Van Thanh of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) addressed the issue of prisoners of concern and recalled that, in June 2005, the Ambassador passed to MPS Vice Minister Nguyen Van Huong a list of 13 prisoners. Of these 13, seven individuals had been amnestied, four continue to serve their sentences, one is under consideration for an amnesty and "one person committed suicide," Thanh reported. ¶3. (SBU) Information available to Post confirms that seven of the 13 individuals on the June 2005 list have been released: Mua Say So, Nguyen Khac Toan, Brother Nguyen Thien Phung, Than Van Truong, Tran Van Hoang, Tran Van Luong (a former ARVN soldier) and Tran Van Thang. The four from the list who are still serving their sentences are Pham Hong Son, Nguyen Vu Binh, Bui Tan Nha and Hong Thien Hanh. (Note: According to the GVN, both Bui Tan Nha and Hong Thien Hanh were arrested for economic crimes. ConGen HCMC was able to corroborate this information with associates of Nha and Hanh. As a result, both individuals were removed from subsequent lists of concern. End Note.) ¶4. (SBU) Based on information received from the GVN, Do Van My is the prisoner from the June 2005 list "under consideration for amnesty," leaving Tran Van Luong, the former Director of the Center for Applied Physics, as the presumptive prisoner who committed suicide. When Post followed up this matter with the MFA's Americas and International Organizations Departments, there was some initial confusion: the MFA told us that there was only one Luong and that he was released in September 2005. However, several conversations later, the MFA confirmed that there were two Luong's, and that one of them did indeed commit suicide. According to the IO Department, Luong fell ill in prison last year and was hospitalized at Bac Giang provincial hospital. He reportedly leapt from the hospital's second floor and died on April 28, 2005, as he was being rushed to Vietnam-Germany Hospital in Hanoi. ¶5. (SBU) Separately, Pham Ngoc Thach, the last of the "Menonite Six" group, was released from prison on March 3 at the completion of his sentence. After his release, Thach gave an interview to Radio Free Asia, in which he alleged that he was mistreated in prison. (Note: Thach is affiliated with a group of Mennonites led by Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang; the Mennonite Six were arrested and convicted following an altercation with HCMC police in March 2004. End Note.) ¶6. (SBU) Comment: We will continue to seek further information on Luong's suicide, such as an autopsy report, and try to find out why the GVN did not inform us about his death sooner. The presence of two Tran Van Luong's on our list likely contributed to the delay, and it is still causing confusion for GVN officials: for example, during Vice Foreign Minister Le Van Bang's recent meeting with DRL A/S Lowenkron in Washington, Bang noted that Tran Van Luong would soon complete his sentence and be released (Reftel). Indeed, in June 2004 he was sentenced to 21-months' imprisonment, meaning he would have been released as early as this month. When we asked about this, the MFA attributed VFM Bang's mistake to "old information" and pledged to HANOI 00000510 002 OF 002 provide him an update upon his return. ¶7. (SBU) Comment, cont'd: Based on this new information regarding Tran Van Luong, and assuming Do Van My is released as planned, our list of prisoners of concern will have four names: Pham Hong Son, Nguyen Vu Binh, Phan Van Ban and Ma Van Bay. This does not include the individuals facing travel and other restrictions, such as Thich Quang Do. End Comment. STANFORD