UNDERGROUND DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS SAY PARTY FEELING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 001683

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE PASS TO EAP/MLS, DRL/AWH, AND INR/EAP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2032
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL VM
SUBJECT: UNDERGROUND DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS SAY PARTY FEELING
GROWING THREATS

REF: A. HCMC 805 AND PREVIOUS

B. HANOI 1462

C. HANOI 1313

D. HANOI 1276

E. HANOI 1271

F. HANOI 922

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Classified By: Political Counselor Brian Aggeler, for Reasons 1.4 (b),
(c),and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) High-profile political dissidents Dr. Pham Hong Son
and Nguyen Vu Binh, both recently released from prison and
under house arrest, remain active with the moderate
Democratic Party of Vietnam (DPV) underground pro-democracy
group. On September 10, Embassy PolOffs visited separately
and without interference with both dissidents. Son believes
the Party leadership has been shaken by summer land rights
protests in HCMC and Hanoi and is fearful of potential legal
challenges to long-standing laws on land ownership and
usership. He also described reported calls within the GVN
leadership for "review" of Article Four of the GVN
Constitution, which gives political supremacy to the
Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). Binh advised the USG not
to be fooled by any temporary good behavior by the GVN to
secure UNSC non-permanent membership. Both activists
appealed for continued and consistent USG pressure on the
regime on human rights, democracy and the release of
political prisoners. End Summary.


SUMMER LAND RIGHTS PROTESTS SHOOK PARTY
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2. (C) In a September 10 meeting at his residence, prominent
cyber-dissident and underground democracy activist Dr. Pham
Hong Son (Ref. B) told Embassy PolOffs that the Communist
Party has been weakened by the summer land rights protests in
HCMC and Hanoi (Refs. A, D). Son says the GVN leadership is
worried about individual claims to property and legal
challenges to existing laws on land ownership, which is part
of the reason why the GVN is threatened by lawyers, and why
so many lawyers are among the dissidents jailed, in the last
year, under "national security" laws.


SECURITY FORCES GO TO THE MEDIA
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3. (C) As in prior meetings, Son reiterated the need to
liberalize the press to support democracy efforts in Vietnam.
When the GVN feels threatened, or when security forces are
restrained from making arrests or committing violence, they
lash out through the state-controlled media. The summer 2007
land rights protests in HCMC and later in Hanoi produced a
string of "attack messages" in the media in the last month,
in particular targeting protest-involved dissidents Thich
Quang Do and Thich Khong Thanh of the outlawed Unified
Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV),and Nguyen Khac Toan (Ref.
C) of the outlawed Independent Labor Union of Vietnam (ILUV).
Media articles sometimes provide bio-data and home addresses
of these individuals and describe them as "enemies of the
state" working with "overseas reactionary forces" to stir up
protests with a goal to overthrow the regime.


4. (C) Responding to a question on how to support press
freedom, Son recommended the U.S. Mission strengthen its
relationships with key newspapers and journals, citing Tuoi
Tre ("Youth" Newspaper daily),Thanh Nien ("Young People"
Newspaper daily),Phap Luat (Law Journal daily) and its HCMC
version, and Tia Sang ("Ray of Light" monthly Magazine). He
said these particular periodicals were known to be "more
open" to democracy activists and dissidents while the rest
are very "controlled by the state."


DEBATE ON ARTICLE FOUR OF THE GVN CONSTITUTION
-------------- -



5. (C) Son said that, according to his contacts inside the
GVN, there has been a debate within the high-levels of the
GVN to "review" Article Four of the Vietnamese Constitution,

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which gives political supremacy to the CPV and essentially
outlaws all other political parties. Activists say the
Article contradicts other parts of the Vietnamese
Constitution. According to Son, President Triet reportedly
said at an August 27 meeting with the MOD Policy Department
that "if Article Four is canceled, it is our political
suicide." Son said the CPV leadership greatly fears the
potential for "revenge" and "retaliation" if there is any
kind of transition to a multi-party state in Vietnam or any
change of government.


UNDERGROUND DEMOCRACY GROUPS BLEED BUT SURVIVE
-------------- -



6. (C) Son said there is networking between democracy
activists in the North and South of the country, but it still
remains difficult to communicate and operate when MPS
surveillance is omnipresent. Son commented that it is not
difficult to launch an underground democracy group, but it is
difficult to maintain one. He said the outlawed United
Workers Farmers Organization (UWFO) launched sloppily in
2006, and as a result most of its founders were arrested and
sentenced to jail in 2006 and 2007. Nevertheless, he said
UWFO still survives in HCMC. The outlawed People's
Democratic Party of Vietnam (PDP),he said, has lost many
good people but is still organized. The group with which Son
is most closely affiliated, the Democratic Party of Vietnam
(DPV),led by the elderly and ailing Hoang Minh Chinh (Ref.
E),has tried to gain legitimacy and work within the system
calling more for a "chance to compete" rather than "regime
change" and a more moderate transition to democracy. On the
other side of the spectrum, he says, the more widely-covered
underground Bloc 8406 movement is too loud and
confrontational, more supportive of outright regime change
and, in his estimation, not professional.


NGUYEN VU BINH: FIRST VISIT SINCE PRISON RELEASE
-------------- --------------


7, (C) PolOffs visited DISSIDENT Nguyen Vu Binh, recently
released from prison, at his residence in Hanoi on September

10. After approximately five years in jail, the former
journalist was released to house arrest and three years
probation in June 2007 (Ref. F),after years of pressure from
the USG on his case. Binh asked PolOffs to convey his
heart-felt thanks to U.S. President Bush, Secretary of State
Rice, members of the U.S. Congress who called for his
release, including Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, and
Ambassador Michael Marine. Binh said the conditions of his
house arrest include regular reporting to local authorities,
including a mandatory monthly visit to his precinct's
People's Committee and required permission to travel outside
of the precinct. His health is not bad, and he is happy to
return to his writing. Undeterred by his imprisonment, Binh
remains heavily involved with activities of the Democratic
Party of Vietnam (DPV),along with Pham Hong Son.


BINH: DON'T BE FOOLED BY UNSC MEMBERSHIP "GOOD BEHAVIOR"
-------------- --------------



8. (C) In an attempt by the DPV to gain legitimacy, Binh is
currently working on a DPV proposal to the GVN National
Assembly to establish a third-party entity in Vietnam to
oversee foreign development assistance coming into Vietnam.
He says the current system does not work and much development
assistance is wasted or lines the pockets of corrupt party
officials, and he seeks support for this project from the
U.S. Mission. Binh said we should be aware that the GVN will
change positively to secure UNSC non-permanent membership for
2008, but this will only be "temporary." He says the GVN's
fundamental character is one of "intolerance."


ADVICE TO USG: KEEP CALLING FOR RIGHTS
--------------



9. (C) Son and Binh made appeals similar to those of other
dissidents. The United States Government must continue to do
what it has been doing: raise a consistent voice calling for
human rights and democracy in Vietnam and send a clear

HANOI 00001683 003.2 OF 003


message of support for peaceful political activists. They
recommended that we call more aggressively for reform of the
judicial system, including constitutional reform. Son also
said it was absolutely critical for the USG to continue to
call for the release of political prisoners and specifically
cited support from the U.S. Embassy and calls for his release
by Ambassador Michael Marine that got him out of four years
in prison. Without these efforts, Son said, he would still
be in an isolation cell today.
MICHALAK