FOUR BLOC 8406 DISSIDENTS ARRESTED, SIX MORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001071 SIPDIS FOR EAP/MLS, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM VM SUBJECT: FOUR BLOC 8406 DISSIDENTS ARRESTED, SIX MORE DETAINED BRIEFLY Classified By: Political Counselor Brian Aggeler. Reasons 1.4 (B/D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Security officials in Hanoi, Haiphong and Thai Binh arrested four well-known dissidents on September 10 and 11. Those arrested - Nguyen Xuan Nghia, Pham Van Troi, Nguyen Van Tuc, and Ngo Quynh - are affiliated with the political movement Bloc 8406 and have sought to use public protests to embarrass the government. Half a dozen other dissidents were detained for a few days for questioning around the same time, according to well-known dissident Dr. Pham Hong Son, who remains under house arrest but has spoken to their families. Dr. Son also provided updates on imprisoned dissidents Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) During a meeting with PolOff on September 16, prominent dissident Dr. Pham Hong Son (protect) confirmed that he had spoken with family members of each of the new arrestees to ascertain their situation. Son stated that Nghia, Troi and Tuc were arrested at their homes in Haiphong and Thai Binh during the night of September 10. According to Dr. Son's conversations, family members were shown arrest warrants but were not given copies. Quynh was reportedly en route to the Thai Ha parish to join the daily prayer vigils when he was arrested. Family members have not had contact with them since their arrests, but according to online reports, they are being held at the B14 prison in Hanoi. In addition to the four, at least six others were detained by police in Hanoi, Haiphong and Thai Binh between September 10-12, but were later released. Dr. Son speculated that the arrests and detentions were prompted by concern that they might stage anti-China protests to mark the fiftieth anniversary on September 14 of FM Pham Van Dong's acknowledgment of Chinese sovereignty in the South China Sea. With a heavy police presence in front of the Chinese embassy in Hanoi and consulate in HCMC, no protests were held to mark the anniversary. ¶3. (C) All four arrestees are members of Bloc 8406. According to Dr. Son, Nghia and Troi are considered more high-profile than Quynh and Tuc. Dr. Son noted that what set these individuals apart from those released were their &aggressive tactics,8 in particular their attempts to use public protests to highlight government inadequacies, whether it be related to problems of high-inflation or sensitive Chinese-Vietnamese relations. Nghia, Troi and Quynh are known to be close associates, Son said, but he did not know of any direct connection between these three and Tuc, apart from their affiliation with Bloc 8406. Dr. Son stressed the importance of accurate, confirmed information, and criticized others in the dissident community for spreading rumors of wider arrests. Commenting on his own situation, Dr. Son said that while he remains under house arrest, he is not subject to harassment. Background on Arrestees -------------- ¶4. (C) Author Nguyen Xuan Nghia from Haiphong received the Hellman/Hammett Award this year. In April, he was detained after trying to organize an anti-China protest at the time the Olympic torch was traveling through Vietnam. Nghia also applied and was denied a permit to protest high inflation in Hanoi in July. ¶5. (C) Engineer Pham Van Troi, also of Haiphong, has had several run-ins with MPS this year. He is a member of the Committee for Human Rights in Vietnam and is a close friend of jailed dissident Nguyen Van Dai. In June, he was beaten up by a youth gang while visiting former Communist Party member and dissident Vi Duc Hoi in Hanoi. ¶6. (C) University student Ngo Quynh was detained with Nghia in April and was also beaten, along with Troi, during their June meeting with Vi Duc Hoi. ¶7. (C) Nguyen Van Tuc of Thai Binh is known to be an associate of author-dissident Nguyen Khac Toan. Tuc has signed several letters to Members of Congress critical of the GVN,s human rights policies and harassment of dissidents. Update on Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan -------------- ¶9. (C) Son noted that he had recently spoken with the wife of jailed dissident lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and the mother of Le Thi Cong Nhan. Son said Nguyen Van Dai,s wife has said that Dai has "settled into a routine8 in prison and that his situation is as comfortable as could be expected. Le Thi Cong Nhan, on the other hand, has had a more difficult time HANOI 00001071 002 OF 002 recently, according to Son. She is being held at a prison further away from Hanoi with harsher conditions, Le,s mother relayed to Son. Le,s mother also complained that it is difficult for her to visit her daughter, which has contributed to Le's sense of isolation. MICHALAK