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