Hanoi Blogger Arrested

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 000805 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/08/31 TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV SUBJECT: Hanoi Blogger Arrested CLASSIFIED BY: Michael Goldman, Deputy Political Counselor; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Prominent dissident blogger Bui Thanh Hieu -- better known by his pen name "Nguoi Buon Gio" ("Wind Trader") -- was formally arrested August 30 after three days of pretrial detention. Well known for views sharply critical of Vietnam's policies toward China, Hieu's arrest was precipitated by his efforts to print T-shirts with anti-China slogans; however, his postings supporting Catholic land-use protestors also likely rankled authorities. Hieu's arrest follows the August 25 dismissal of well-known journalist and blogger Huy Duc from Saigon Thiep Thi newspaper and comes one year after the arrest and conviction of dissident blogger Dieu Cay. Together, these actions signal a continued tightening of restrictions on free speech and come in the context of a larger effort to quell political dissent. In the past three months, eight political activists have been arrested. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) On August 30, one of Hanoi's leading dissident bloggers, Bui Thanh Hieu was formally arrested. One of Hieu's colleagues, well-known dissident attorney Le Quoc Quan (protect),provided further details of Hieu's arrest, telling PolOff that he spoke with Hieu shortly after he was initially detained for questioning August ¶27. Hieu's wife Lien told Quan that the police had visited both her home and Hieu's parents home on the morning of August 30 and seized three computers. At that time, the police informed Lien that her husband was formally under arrest. ¶3. (C) Hieu is a well-known blogger in Hanoi who has been sharply critical of the GVN's policies toward China, which he characterizes as overly conciliatory, as well as its approach to land disputes with the Catholic Church. Entries on his blog are routinely circulated on other well-known dissident blogs based in the United States and elsewhere. On the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's border war with China, Hieu traveled to the border region and interviewed local residents about the many hardships the war had caused. He also published several articles on the bauxite mining controversy and Vietnam's maritime disputes with China. More recently, Hieu wrote several blog postings in support of Catholic parishioners calling for the return of the Tam Toa church ruins in Quang Binh province. (Note: According to Quan, Hieu began studying Catholicism last year at the height of the Thai Ha prayer vigils in Hanoi and intended to be baptized in the Catholic Church later this year. End note.) ¶4. (C) Quan told PolOff that Hieu had been regularly questioned by authorities about his blogging over the past year, but shortly before his arrest his questioning took on a decidedly more accusatory tone. In a blog posting on August 25 Hieu suggested that he might be detained in the near future. Quan said that the real reason Hieu was arrested was perhaps due more to increased political activism than to his blogging per se, explaining that in July Hieu had begun working with other dissidents to raise money to print T-shirts with anti-Chinese slogans regarding the Spratley and Paracel islands. According to Quan, after some shirts were printed in July and attracted attention on the internet, Hieu decided to enlarge the project. Hieu worked with female blogger Quynh Nhu in Nha Trang who found a printer that would print 100 T-shirts for 5 million VND (approximately $265). Hieu then solicited ten friends, most of whom fellow dissidents, to each contribute 500,000 VND ($26.50) to fund the project. Quan himself contributed 500,000 VND. ¶5. (C) Comment: Hieu's arrest, together with the August 25 dismissal of well-known journalist Huy Duc from Saigon Thiep Thi newspaper, is further evidence that the authorities are increasingly concerned with the activities of dissident bloggers. This concern is heightened -- and pressure turns into arrest -- when individuals move beyond on-line criticism and adopt more outward forms of political activism, even if that activism consists of nothing more than printing T-shirts. Hieu's is the latest in a string of recent arrests, eight in the past three months, and suggests a cold season for political dissent. END COMMENT. MICHALAK