HUMAN RIGHTS UPDATE - NGUYEN KHAC TOAN RAILS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001118 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR EAP/MLS, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2018 TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV VM SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS UPDATE - NGUYEN KHAC TOAN RAILS AGAINST GVN REF: A. HANOI 1020 ¶B. HANOI 1007 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR BRIAN AGGELER. REASONS 1.4 (B/D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: A fiery and vocal advocate of large-scale demonstrations, author Nguyen Khac Toan remains under house arrest. Unlike other dissidents in "administrative detention" who are relatively free to travel and to meet with visitors, Toan is subject to constant supervision by the police and is prohibited from traveling outside his city precinct without first informing the police. Plainclothes police officers initially attempted to prevent PolOff from meeting with Toan and closely monitored the subsequent conversation. Toan wants to travel to the United States to receive medical treatment, but is unable to receive a passport. END SUMMARY. The Meeting that Almost Wasn't -------------- ¶2. (C) When PolOff arrived at the home of dissident writer Nguyen Khac Toan on September 8, two plainclothes police officers attempted to prevent the meeting, arguing that Toan's "administrative detention" did not allow him to meet with foreigners. Toan vociferously objected, noting that the terms of his detention only require him to inform the police if he wants to leave the police precinct. After speaking with their superiors, the police allowed the meeting to take place at a nearby cafe, but monitored the conversation from an adjacent table. PolOff stressed to Toan that the Embassy did not want to cause him any difficulties and said that maybe it would be better to meet another time. Toan was insistent that the meeting take place and made a point of speaking loudly enough for the police to hear him clearly. Under Strict House Arrest... -------------- ¶3. (C) Although Toan was released from jail more than two and a half years ago, he remains under strict house arrest (Toan's "administrative detention" expires January 24, 2009). He said that he is monitored from 6:00 am untill 11:00 pm, with plainclothes police officers stationed across from his residence. During sensitive times, such as during high-level foreign visits or the Olympic torch relay in Vietnam, he is monitored around the clock. He is not able to have a landline or internet access in his home and has had several computers and cell phones seized by the police. Toan claimed that only a few other dissidents, such as Do Nam Hai in HCMC, are monitored in a similar fashion (Ref A). Toan asserted that the terms of his administrative detention are more severe than others because he has been more vocal than most in his opposition to the GVN. Unable to Work or to Obtain Medical Treatment Overseas -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Toan said that he has been unable to work since his release and has occupied himself by publishing dissident articles on the internet. He is also not allowed to travel overseas. He was invited this summer by a Vietnamese-American NGO in California to visit the United States for medical treatment; however, the Ministry of Public Security denied his passport application. When he asked the MPS if they would issue him a passport after his house arrest ends, Toan was told that it would depend on his "outside activities." During his several years in jail, Toan developed type 2 diabetes that requires daily medication. Toan also said that he suffers from hypertension and back problems dating to his military service during the Vietnam War. A Supporter of Thai Ha -------------- ¶5. (C) An observant Catholic, Toan pressed the Embassy to support the Thai Ha parish (ref. B). Toan commented that he had been to Thai Ha a number of times, but that on his last visit on September 7, his motorcycle was seized by police while he was participating in one of the prayer vigils. He said he was informed by the police that they seized his motorcycle because he had left his precinct without prior permission. Toan noted, however, that other parishioners have had their motorcycles impounded as well. HANOI 00001118 002 OF 002 Background on Nguyen Khac Toan -------------- ¶6. (C) Founder of the outlawed International Labor Union of Vietnam (ILUV) and a close associate of Democratic Party of Vietnam (DPV) and Bloc 8406 activists, Toan was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2002 but was released in January 2006, under international pressure. Toan was then put on probation for three years under "Decree 53," which mandates that he report any travel outside of Hanoi. Although prohibited from working, Toan continues to serve as editor-in-chief of the "Freedom and Democracy Journal," an online publication associated with both the DPV and Bloc ¶8406. Toan has been detained several times since his release for unauthorized travel, as well as for attempting to breach Vietnam's Internet firewalls and his association with 8406 Bloc activists. MICHALAK