PHU YEN PROVINCE: PROMISING OR PROBLEMATIC?

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HO CHI MINH CITY 001222 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PINR SOCI PREL KIRF PGOV PREL VM SUBJECT: PHU YEN PROVINCE: PROMISING OR PROBLEMATIC? HO CHI MIN 00001222 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Phu Yen province in Central Coastal Vietnam has promise -- especially in aquaculture, light industry and tourism -- but is being held back by a rigid and insular government. Despite the relatively orthodox approach to economic development, the province appears to be implementing the legal framework on religion, particularly with regard to the recognition and registration of Protestant churches. Our September visit also indicated some unrest in at least one ethnic minority area in the province; provincial officials are concerned about the spread of ethnic minority separatist ideology in areas bordering the Central Highlands. However, we have not seen any evidence to corroborate allegations of government-orchestrated violence against ethnic minorities in the province. Unless the province's leaders show greater leadership and initiative, particularly in promoting the private sector and foreign investment, the province will remain a poor backwater. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) From September 13 to 15, ConGenOffs traveled to the coastal province of Phu Yen to assess economic, human rights and religious freedom conditions in the province. This was our first visit since 2002 and comes after the province declined a number of our requests to visit. Relatively unspoiled and isolated, Phu Yen borders the Central Highlands provinces of Gia Lai and Dak Lak with the more economically vibrant provinces of Khanh Hoa and Binh Dinh to the south and north, respectively. Phu Yen, population 860,000 ranked 21 out of 63 ranked provinces in the 2006 Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index (VVCCI), which measures the effectiveness of government support for business. A Very Provincial Provincial Government -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Phu Yen People's Committee Vice-Chairman Le Kim Anh opened our discussion by noting that, while the province wanted economic development, it must be pursued under the banner of "social justice, security and national defense." The Vice-Chairman said that Phu Yen's three industrial zones attracted 27 FDI projects with a total licensed capital of USD 200 million. Thus far, ten projects have begun operations. The province also has 1,000 small, domestic private enterprises. The Vice-Chairman said that Phu Yen is trying to develop tourism �A;and was open to U.S. investment in this sector. He noted that transportation and communication infrastructure shortcomings were an obstacle for investment, but did not offer any solutions. Similarly, he stated that the province offered attractive concessions for foreign investment but did not mention specifics. In his presentation, Vice-Chairman Anh remarked that Phu Yen was heavily affected by the Vietnam War and Agent Orange, claiming that there were 10,000 victims in the province. (Phu Yen's per capita GDP was USD 400 in 2006, well below the national average of USD 640.) ¶4. (SBU) Visits to two FDI projects -- shrimp and automotive assembly -- showed the modest scale of FDI investment in the province. The shrimp farm, owned by Asia Hawaii Ventures Company (AHV),is a joint-stock venture with American and Taiwanese investors. The 50-hectare farm represents a USD two million investment and employs 150 workers. The Phu Yen plant appeared to be an expansion of other AHV operations further up the coast in Binh Dinh and Thua Thien Hue provinces. ¶5. (SBU) JRD Manufacturing Automobiles Joint Venture Company, technically is a 100 percent-owned Malaysian-invested venture. General Manager Jackson Cheong said that the USD two million factory would assemble up to 300 SUVs, trucks and mini-vans per month, with major components imported from China and South-East Asia. The cars will be sold domestically as well as exported to Malaysia, China and Thailand. The plant currently employs 100 local workers and five mainland Chinese engineers. JRD intends to transport vehicles overland to HCMC and use the Saigon port for export. Cheong would not specify why JRD invested in Phu Yen province -- especially as the major domestic market and port was a day's travel away in HCMC -- other to note that the company had received favorable terms from the province. Religion -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Nguyen Van Linh, head of the Phu Yen Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA) told us that the province respects religious freedom and implements Vietnam's legal framework on religion. He noted that, before the implementation of the legal framework on religion in early 2005, the province had "security issues" with some Protestant groups, but none since. He also noted that the province has seen a spillover from "separatist problems" in the Central Highlands, but did not elaborate. The CRA Chairman told us that, in addition to the GVN-recognized Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV),a number of house church organizations including the Baptists, Presbyterians, HO CHI MIN 00001222 002.2 OF 003 Seventh Day Adventists, the Unified Gospel Outreach Church (UGOC) and Assembly of God were active in the province. The house church organizations were allowed to operate without interference and the province was working to legalize their status in accordance with the law. ¶7. (SBU) However, the province refused our repeated requests to meet with the UGOC. The provincial Vice-Chairman explained that the group was "not stable" and cited a lack of religious texts, self-appointed pastors, and a shifting following. The CRA Chairman said that the UGOC in Phu Yen is a breakaway group of the Assembly of God church and that the province has not yet decided if it is a "legitimate congregation." That said, the province is working with the congregation on its registration application and UGOC can meet freely, the officials claimed. A phone conversation with Pastor Si, the senior UGOC representative in the province, seemed to support the official position. Pastor Si did not report any problems with Phu Yen officials or interference in UGOC religious practice. He claimed that the UGOC has been operating in Phu Yen since the 1920s, but did not provide any more specifics. ¶8. (SBU) In a private meeting, Pastor Thong, provincial representative of the SECV, told us that the SECV operates 50 places of worship in the province. Progress has been steady since the legal framework on religion came into effect in early ¶2005. Ten SECV churches have been recognized. Another fifteen are in the process of registering. The remaining twenty-five operate as house churches, but do not face harassment. The SECV has 4,081 followers, of which 1,098 are ethnic minority. The SECV currently has only two ordained pastors to serve the province. Although the SECV is able to operate freely, the pastor complained that the province has been uncooperative in resolving the church's outstanding property disputes, even though some of the confiscated lots now lay vacant and unused. CRA officials told us that in 1975 the SECV "gave the land" to Phu Yen and that land used for "public welfare" cannot be returned. Ethnic Minorities Issues -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Provincial Committee for Ethnic and Minority Affairs (CEMA) Deputy Chief Le Vai Ty told us that there are twenty-eight ethnic minority groups in Phu Yen. The largest are the Ede, Cham, Bahnar and Tay. Ty reported there are twenty Bahnar ethnic representatives in the various branches of the provincial government, including himself. Other groups did not appear to have a significant representation in government. ¶10. (SBU) According to Ty, all of ethnic minority villages have electricity and access to clean water. He noted that there were eleven predominately ethnic minority communes (communes can encompass a number of villages) that are categorized as extremely poor by the GVN. We raised reports from the Montagnard Foundation (MF) alleging ethnic minority clashes with police, confiscations of cell phones and arrests. For example, in a May press release, the MF claimed that an ethnic Vietnamese individual "savagely attacked" several ethnic minority individuals, presumably at the behest of police. Reportedly, two ethnic minority students were arrested and ethnic minority victims refused medical treatment. Ty denied any ethnic minority unrest of clashes between ethnic minority individuals and ethnic Vietnamese, saying that he only knew of "incidents stemming from drunkenness." ¶11. (SBU) A tour of an ethnic Ede village some 40 miles (and two hours) from the provincial capital showcased a large and relatively prosperous village. Ly village in Song Hinh District has 176 households with a population of 916. According to Village Chief Ma Jom, villagers do not follow a specific religion. He claimed that poverty has been reduced in their village thanks an irrigation channel built by the government in ¶2001. However, only 50 percent of the villagers have land. He was not aware of any government benefits programs for landless villagers. ¶12. (SBU) The village chief said he understood that there was an incident involving ethnic minority individuals in May, but could not provide specifics as the affected village was some 25 miles away. SECV Pastor Thong told us that the May incident was a personal clash between an ethnic minority individual and an ethnic Vietnamese. Neither individual was Christian. When police were called, ethnic minority villagers threw rocks at the police. ¶13. (SBU) We also visited an ethnic minority boarding school in the district government seat of Hai Rieng. The school, established in 1982, covers grades six to nine. It has 30 teachers for 167 students. Seven ethnic groups are represented, with Ede and Bahnar comprising the bulk of the students. HO CHI MIN 00001222 003.2 OF 003 According to Principal Nguyen Chi Thi, the local government sets quotas for the different ethnic groups in the district. Students come from ten different communes up to 20 miles away. The school was relatively large but only had basic facilities. A much larger and more modern facility being built across the road was, according to accompanying officials, a new school to train Communist Party cadres. Comment -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Phu Yen is a poor, sleepy backwater. Its wide boulevards largely are bereft of vehicle traffic or private-sector commerce. Party and Government leaders here are politically inbred, more orthodox, and suspicious of outsiders -- especially the United States. They have a relatively uncomplicated and comfortable existence and want to keep it that way. Tuy Hoa, the provincial capital, has a long, wide beach that has yet to be developed and a decent airport, but the government hasn't shown the initiative to draw tourists. ¶15. (SBU) Because Phu Yen still is relatively more rigid than many other provinces in the consular district, it is encouraging that -- even here -- efforts to implement the legal framework on religion in the province generally appear to be moving ahead. We will seek to overcome provincial resistance to meet with the local branch of the UGOC church in a subsequent visit. However, our contacts with the Phu Yen and national branches of the organization indicate that the province is living up to its obligation not to harass this or any other Protestant religious organization operating there. Despite the government's protestations to the contrary, there appear to be tensions between the ethnic minorities and ethnic Vietnamese in at least some rural communities in the province. And the government also is concerned about spillover from ethnic minority separatism in the neighboring Central Highlands. That said, we did not find any evidence to support allegations of wholesale, government-orchestrated violence against ethnic minorities in the province. End Comment. Winnick