BLOGGING AND POLITICAL DISSENT IN VIETNAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 000378 FOR DRL/MLGA, EAP/MLS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2019 TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV ECON VM SUBJECT: BLOGGING AND POLITICAL DISSENT IN VIETNAM REF: HANOI 367 Classified By: PolCouns Brian Aggeler. Reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The internet continues to revolutionize political communication and dissent in Vietnam. Blogs routinely provide an alternative channel for print journalists to publish information they know would not get past state censors or newspaper self-censorship. The GVN estimates there are over 300,000 Vietnamese bloggers; data from Yahoo suggest the number is much greater. In contrast to the situation in China, many well-known political activists and high-profile journalists have blogs in their own names or under thinly veiled pseudonyms that are not blocked by internet censors. Vietnam's most vocal dissidents regularly post stridently anti-government and anti-Communist opinions that would expose them to almost certain arrest if expressed in other, more conventional ways. Anti-GVN websites hosted in the United States, France, and Germany serve as clearing houses for these postings, which allows the Vietnamese exile community to join with local dissidents in criticizing the government. As the following list of Vietnam based prominent online critics shows, even in the tightly restrictive media environment of this single-party state, dissent finds outlets for expression. END SUMMARY. Lawyer Le Quoc Quan -------------- ¶2. (C) Dissident attorney Le Quoc Quan, who was detained for 3 months in 2007 after completing a fellowship with the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, DC, has his own blog (www.lequocquan.blogspot.com). Over the past year, Lawyer Quan has posted many articles critical of the government's handling of last year's Catholic protests at the Thai Ha parish and the September-October arrests of at least 13 activists associated with the dissident political movement Bloc 8406 (reftel). Bloc 8406 itself received prominence through circulating a "Manifesto on Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam in 2006" through the internet (khoi8406vn.blogspot.com). Author Tran Khai Thanh Thuy -------------- ¶3. (C) One of the more strident bloggers, author Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, has her own blog (www.trankhaithanhthuy.blogspot.com),which has posted a wide range of articles sharply critical of Communist Party leadership, Vietnam's lack of a free press and GVN land-rights policies. She has authored over 30 books and has even gone so far as to recently publish an extremely critical book in the United States on Chairman Ho Chi Minh. At her arrest in 2007, she was accused of "posting nearly 200 pieces of libelous and slanderous propaganda on the internet that gave grossly distorted views on the socio-economic development, politics, human rights and rights for a universal vote in Viet Nam." She was sentenced nine months later to time served in January 2008 for "disturbing the public order." Upon her release, she immediately resumed posting hard-hitting articles against the GVN. Within the past three months, Thuy and her family have experienced increasing harassment -- including ten incidents where individuals have thrown feces mixed with motor oil at her home entrance and twice glued shut the lock of the gate to her home. Thuy has complained to local officials and police about the harassment but to date no action has been taken. Scientist Nguyen Thanh Giang -------------- ¶4. (C) Dissident scientist Dr. Nguyen Thanh Giang's website (www.nguyenthanhgiang.com) has a special section dedicated to his writings on "human rights and democracy," as well as another on "leaders of democracy" where he profiles the efforts of other dissidents. He is also the chief editor of the weekly online dissident newspaper "Fatherland" (To Quoc). In recent months, Dr. Giang has hosted a number of group meetings with dissidents and family members of Bloc 8406 detainees (reftel). He has also published online several open letters signed by these family members asking for information regarding their relatives. Doctor Pham Hong Son -------------- ¶5. (C) After completing his four-and-a-half year prison sentence for translating and circulating a State Department document entitled "What is Democracy?", pharmacist Pham Hong Son, resumed posting on-line articles on websites including Vietnam's Political and Religious Prisoners Friendship Association (www.hahtncttg.org). Son's frequent postings have been particularly critical of the GVN's "coddling" of China and have elaborated on what he views as the necessary building blocks of democracy. Son continues to enjoy translating the works of America's founding fathers into Vietnamese and posting their writings on the internet. He has even had editorials published in the Falun Gong's online newspaper (www.epochtimes.com) marking the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's border war with China. Former Soldier Nguyen Khac Toan and Father Loi -------------- - ¶6. (C) Virulently anti-communist dissidents Nguyen Khac Toan and Father Phan Van Loi are joint editors of the weekly online dissident newspaper "Freedom of Speech" (To Do Ngon Luan). Toan is a regular contributor to the website Dialogue (www.doi-thoai.com) and Father Loi also regularly posts updates on Bloc 8406 to various websites. Father Loi even joked in a recent meeting with the DCM that he is "addicted" to the internet. While both individuals are closely monitored by the police for their strongly held views, they continue to remain free to regularly post comments online. Even Former PM Vo Van Kiet and General Giap -------------- ¶7. (C) Particularly toward the end of his life, former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet became increasingly outspoken in urging Vietnam toward fundamental political reform. A few months before his death, he joined with dissident poet (and fellow decorated war hero) Ha Si Phu in writing an article that described continued one-party rule in Vietnam as not only immoral but impractical with the goal of continued growth. The two, along with fellow former Viet Cong guerillas Le Hong Ha and Bui Tin, urged the CPV to get in front of world public opinion by announcing a long-term road map to full democracy. While no newspaper would publish the article, it was posted on Ha Si Phu's website (www.hasiphu.com) and picked up by many other bloggers. That was the last -- although not the first -- article by Kiet that appeared only on the web. Other Communist luminaries such as 97-year old General Vo Nguyen Giap have allowed their works to be published in blogs when no mainstream publication would carry them. Gen. Giap has been unabashedly active in publishing open letters to the government on topics where he feels the GVN has gone astray -- whether it relates to the construction of a new National Assembly building (which he opposed) or allowing Chinese bauxite mining in the Central Highlands (which he also opposes). Gen. Giap's comments on the bauxite mine controversy have been the topic de jour of many online blogs for weeks and have placed the GVN on the defensive regarding this sensitive project. Many, Many Others -------------- ¶8. (C) The blogs cited above represent a small fraction of Vietnam's on-line dissident community. The American Internet giant Yahoo told the Consulate in 2008 that one third of the over 3.5 million blogs hosted on their "Yahoo360" service are Vietnamese. While the vast majority of these simply provide personal information like Facebook, many thousands include political and social commentary that would not be welcome in the mainstream media. It is no coincidence that even purely private bloggers prefer the security offered by an off-shore host. In Ho Chi Minh City, not only journalists but also the editors of virtually every leading newspaper have private blogs where they post information that they feel they ought not publish. Some leading editors have even lamented the negative impact that censorship -- and therefore blogging -- has had on sales, noting that the number of hits on their blogs greatly exceeds the number of papers they sell. Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) Again, the individuals mentioned above are only some of the most prominent dissident bloggers; many others regularly publish opinions sharply critical of the government or Communist Party. These individuals continue to be subject to regular surveillance and police harassment. However, in a significant new development, they are not being arrested or prosecuted solely for expressing their opinions online. The danger, as the arrest of the blogger Dieu Cay and the unusual military service of blogger Nguyen Tien Trung demonstrate, comes when bloggers begin to express their views -- often identical to opinions posted on their blogs -- in more "traditional" ways, particularly through public protest. END COMMENT. ¶10. (U) This cable was coordinated with Consulate Ho Chi Minh City. MICHALAK